NORWALK – John “Jack” Raymond Gerken, Jr., 80, who pioneered new retail concepts for furniture sales while working to build his family’s business, Norwalk Furniture Corp., died Friday at Fisher Titus Medical Center.

The family said he died from muscular dystrophy complications.

Mr. Gerken helped establish several community organizations and advance the local civil rights movement during the 1960s.

He began working as a sales representative for Norwalk Furniture shortly after graduating from Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., in 1947. Read more »

Bobby W. Bush, Sr., Charles T. Knabusch and Ronald G. Wanek were inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame on October 17 at the organization’s 18th Annual Banquet Gala in High Point, North Carolina.

Bush is a member of the AFHF board of directors and retired vice president of sales of the Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company.

Knabusch is the son of La-Z-Boy co-founder Edward M. Knabusch. He was on the original AFHF board of directors and was one of the organization’s first supporters. In 1994 he was named among the nation’s 10 outstanding business leaders by Northwood University. He is survived by his wife, June, four children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Read more »

Made in America. The phrase is starting to take on the same quaint, anachronistic feel as, say, “Mr. Smith received a gold watch from the company after 40 years of loyal service.” It’s simply another stark reality of our globalizing world. But to assume that American manufacturers have to padlock the factory doors and move overseas is to deny the innovative spirit – and bulldog determination – that birthed and nourished our nation’s economy.

Just ask Century Furniture. This Hickory, N.C.-based maker of fine, high-end home furnishings is doing what many view as “the impossible.” It is keeping its factories open.

Century, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, has seven manufacturing facilities and some 1,200 business partners. (The company doesn’t call them employees because each one actually owns a stake in the business.) It is one of the last, lonely holdouts in the area that proudly calls itself “The Furniture Capital of America.” About two-thirds of its wood manufacturing competitors have closed up shop and moved their manufacturing to China.

According to Hardwood Review Weekly, which keeps track of these statistics, between 2000 and 2006, 279 U.S. furniture factories closed in 29 states, totaling more than 64,000 lost jobs. Between 2000 and 2005, North Carolina lost 68 percent of its 32,000 furniture jobs. Read more »

At a time when daily life is infused with the technology of cell phones, iPods and plasma TVs, the American furniture industry has sensed a counter-trend at hand.

“Many of us need a balance, especially in the environment we come home to each day,” says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

New furniture collections on their way to retail stores this month will meet the need with everything from pure reproductions to inspired interpretations of classic American designs.

New from Hooker is “Simply American,” a collection of bedroom and home entertainment furnishings rendered in Arts & Crafts styling. With features such as cedar-lined drawers and mortise and tenon pegs, the pieces are available in oak or cherry. Read more »

What’s in a leg? A lot more than you might think, when it comes to furniture.

From a practical point of view, all you really need in a chair or table leg are four strong posts that don’t wobble.

But designers care about more than what’s structural and necessary. To many of them, legs are a creative force, a statement of intent, a nod to history.

“They are capable of expressing anything,” said John Dunnigan, a professor of furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design. “They embody so much of the personality of the piece. If you looked at the legs on Egyptian or Roman furniture, you’d be amazed at the variety and complexity and elaboration.” Read more »

STORIS Management Systems, a leading supplier of Business Solutions and Services for Big Ticket retailers, is proud to announce that Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse, one of the largest home furnishing retailers in the state of Washington, has converted their business operations to STORIS’ Vision R8 retail management solution in less than 90 days. “Old Cannery decided that they wanted to expedite the conversion process. Working together we were able to create a project plan and deliver the professional services to meet their goal date” comments, Mark Van Winkle Director of Vision R8. “Having the opportunity to work with the Old Cannery staff of professionals, it is no surprise that this company has a long history of success in achieving their goals” furthers Van Winkle.

Family owned and operated for 25 years and located in Sumner, Washington, The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse is a sizeable, well respected home furnishings store in the northwest. Beyond the doors you will see the vision of Tony, Mabeth, & Sherry Grout and discover 10 acres of lucrative space displaying some of the finest furniture in the country. Visiting Old Cannery Furniture is a visual experience for the whole family. The store is set up to look like an “old cannery”, and features old fashioned toy trains streaming through the store and showcases a seasonal petting zoo for the kids. Additionally, Old Cannery has an oak manufacturer on campus and a homemade fudge factory. Read more »

Just in time for the busy holiday season, Adonis Furniture’s iRocker (TM) has introduced the only video game / rocker chair that is “Made for iPod(TM)”. “Made for iPod” means that an electronic accessory has been designed specifically to connect to iPod and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards, and the iRocker is the first gaming chair ever to incorporate this technology. With the iPod(TM) being among the hottest of holiday gift items over the past several years, the iRocker(TM) is continuing to satisfy the growing consumer demand for products designed specifically for iPod.

“The iRocker(TM) was purposely designed to be in reach for most consumers — appealing to everyone from teenagers to the 70 year old classical music lover,” said Matt Sansoe, General Manager of Adonis Furniture. “For the more than 58 million people and growing who already have an iPod(TM), or two, our iRocker(TM) is the perfect gift for iPod(TM) enthusiasts of all ages.”

The iRocker(TM) with a range of seven different price points starting at only $99, the iRocker(TM) is an accessible gift for a wide range of consumers across every age and demographic, and, a strong list of national retailers will be carrying the chair this season, further fueling big holiday sales. These iRocker(TM) retailers include Costco, Target, Amazon.com, Linen’s and Things, QVC, Stacks and Stacks, FAO Schwartz, Gately’s Shopping Network, and Fortunoff, as well as a number of regional outlets including HOM Furniture in Minnesota, Boscovs and Just Cabinets in Pennsylvania; and American Furniture Warehouse in Colorado. Read more »

U.S.’s second largest furniture maker Herman Miller says it will invest million of dollars in China to expand its business operation in Asia.

The company opened a national design center in Shanghai earlier this week. The Shanghai office will serve as its Asia headquarters.

The company says it chose Shanghai to support the firm’s rapidly expanding client base in Asia. The investment also includes two factories in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. It says the company will seek acquisition opportunities in China to accelerate its expansion plans. The company’s products, and strategic consulting services, generated over 1.7 billion US dollars in revenue during the 2006 fiscal year.

Building fine, wood furniture is a craft that takes years to perfect.

One North County company, American Furniture Design Co., has set out to help woodworkers develop their skills by producing blueprintlike plans for items ranging from Adirondack chairs to entertainment centers.

A step-by-step instruction manual accompanies the plans, which are printed on large bond paper. “Even the beginning woodworker can make something nice out of it,” company owner and President Brian Murphy said.

Murphy started American Furniture Design in his Escondido garage 15 years ago. Read more »

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today called for a federal flammability standard for upholstered furniture, which would conclude a federal regulatory process that has stretched on for more than a decade.

In 1993, the National Association of State Fire Marshals petitioned the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue a mandatory federal standard covering upholstered furniture flammability.

Upholstered furniture is the leading cause of residential fires and resulting deaths. California developed its own standards for flammability in 1975. However, furniture manufacturers are reluctant to adopt California’s standards out of concern that it would be trumped by a federal
regulation. For years, manufacturers have been assured that a national standard is just around the corner. Twelve years later, there is still no federal standard. This uncertainty has allowed trial lawyers to go after manufacturers and anyone associated with them, from suppliers to retailers. Read more »