This beautiful Big Ranch Bookcase adds warmth and beauty to the den or office. Made in the USA. Price and picture shown is for regular bark, centennial finish, and oak veneer. Other options listed below.
More details..

Furniture maker HNI Corp. on Monday said it agreed to acquire Hickory Business Furniture, a unit of Furniture Brands International Inc., for $75 million in cash.

Hickory Business Furniture makes upholstered seating, textiles, wood tables and wood case goods.

The deal is expected to close in the next two to four weeks and will add to HNI’s earnings, the company said. HNI expects to finance the deal with existing credit facilities.

Furniture Brands said the brand does not fit in with its focus on the residential consumer market. Read more »

Clayton-based Furniture Brands International Inc. has found a buyer for its furniture.

The buyer – Muscatine, Iowa-based HNI Corp. – is the No. 2 global brand and office furniture is the largest American manufacturer of gas and wood-burning fireplaces.

$ 75 million sale of Hickory Business Furniture, expected to be completed by the end of this month, will provide an infusion of cash for Furniture Brands – the country’s No. 2-residential furniture manufacturer. The agreement will also enable the company to focus more closely on its residential brands, including Thomasville, Broyhill and Lane. Read more »

At Amish Furniture Gallery’s new 16,000 square foot store in Batavia, store manager Brian Zerm told me there are 61 different styles of tables on display. One in particular caught my eye: a tabletop of cherry wood with hickory log legs. The matching chairs had cherry wood seats and hickory log chair backs and legs. It was gorgeous, rustic, and heavy. “Here, lift one. See how it dents the carpet,” said Zerm.

“People are surprised when they come into the store for the first time,” said Zerm. “Many people think we have only rustic and country. But we have Shaker, Mission, Arts/crafts and contemporary styling as well. People tell me they’ve been looking for a dining room set for two years. They come in here and find two or three right off. For just a little more than something made in China, people can have heirloom quality. It’ll last forever.” Read more »

The Henredon furniture plant in Morganton will close in December, eliminating more than 400 jobs at the company.

Of the 521 people who work at the plant, the company will place about 100 in other jobs, according to Gov. Mike Easley’s office. Company officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

Henredon is part of HDM Furniture Industries, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Furniture Brands International, the largest U.S. maker and marketer of residential furniture.

Furniture Brands has been shifting its production to Asia for the past five years. Read more »

The hottest trend in furniture is hidden in the seat cushions.

Soybean-based foam is cropping up in sofas and chairs. The new product reduces the amount of petroleum used in polyure-thane foam, the core material in cushions. The innovation comes at a time of rising concern over petroleum prices and the availability of raw materials.

Norwalk Furniture, a custom upholstery maker and retailer based in Norwalk, Ohio, recently made the switch to foam containing soy for its standard sofas and chairs.

“It’s a major part of our green journey,” said Reyna Moore, director of sales and marketing for Norwalk, which also uses recycled wire and steel for its machine-tied coil seating systems and natural fibers for its covers. Read more »

J. Don Coleman of components supplier Hickory Springs Mfg. has been elected president of the American Furniture Hall of Fame for 2007-08.

The organization’s board also elected Don Belgrad of Schnadig as first vice president; Don Marks, Badcock Home Furniture & more, second vice president; Leroy Lail, Hickory Furniture Mart, immediate past president and secretary-treasurer; and industry consultant E.L. Briggs, assistant treasurer.

Retired La-Z-Boy Chairman Pat Norton was elected to a new three-year board term. Directors serving an additional three-year term are Jerome Bolick, Southern Furniture Co. of Conover; Joe Carroll, Furniture/Today; Kurt Darrow, La-Z-Boy; Eric Hinshaw, Kingsdown; Marks of Badcock; and Clarence Smith, Haverty Furniture. Read more »

Furniture Brands International, Inc. announced the elimination of approximately 80 executive and administrative employees across the entire company; the closure of 3 manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, resulting in the elimination of approximately 150 employees; and the elimination of approximately 100 employees related to ongoing manufacturing operations across the company.

The company estimates this move will generate annualized savings of approximately $13 million.

Workforce Reduction
The eliminated executive and administrative positions represent approximately 5 percent of the company’s non-manufacturing workforce. Read more »

American Century Home Fabrics, which operates from the former Swink Plant on South Main Street near China Grove, is buying high-end furniture maker Jeffco and will create a new corporate entity called The Chelsea Frank Group.

According to a Furniture Today report, the new group plans a major business thrust into the interior design and luxury retail markets.

Jason Jiang, CEO of the group that is run by him and his wife, Cathy, told Furniture Today that Jeffco is “a world-renowned name” with unique casegoods and upholstery designs, and distribution in the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Russia and China, in addition to the United States. Read more »

Furniture Brands International Inc. said today it will close three manufacturing plants in North Carolina, including one in Thomasville.

Thomasville Furniture will consolidate its Plant C case goods operation, located in Thomasville, into its Lenoir case goods plant. Plant C is a 325,000-square-foot facility and employs about 100 people. The plant will cease manufacturing in July.

Thomasville Furniture will also consolidate its Plant 3 and Plant 4 upholstery operations, both located in Troutman, into its Plant 9 upholstery operation in Hickory. Upholstery Plant 3 employs about 165 people; Plant 4 about 35 people. Plant 3 will cease manufacturing in July; Plant 4 in August. Read more »