by Company CEO Max Dyer shares thoughts about what the new ownership means for its longtime customers
TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — This past week employees and members of the Kincaid Upholstery executive team celebrated not only the ribbon cutting of the production facilities where the line will be produced, but also the ongoing operation and legacy of a company with roots dating back 80 years.
Previous owner La-Z-Boy announced plans in late 2025 to sell the division in order to shed its noncore assets, which also included Kincaid and American Drew case goods.
The sale of Kincaid Upholstery was completed Jan. 30 to ownership under KMC Furniture LLC led by CEO Max Dyer, Kincaid family member Kim Kincaid and Chief Commercial Officer Cole Mehlman.
The purchase included the upholstery portion of the business, along with real estate and all intellectual property.
The company said its 160,000-square-foot plant in Taylorsville has “deep roots” in North Carolina furniture manufacturing as it was originally operated by Alexvale Furniture dating back to that company’s founding in 1976.
Today the Kincaid Upholstery operation employs more than 100 and produces a line of sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, accents and cocktail ottomans available in fabric and leather. The mix also includes swivel chairs and gliders, Dyer noted.
At market starting later this week, the company continues to show in Space C-926 of the International Home Furnishings Center, where Dyer said it will offer two exciting new initiatives including a new Design Your Own Program to complement its Custom Select, Comfort Select and Studio Select offerings “with some distinctive design elements that set it apart.”
He added that the spring season’s new fabric offerings “reflect our emphasis on color and tailoring.”
“Melony Hughes, our director of merchandising, has focused this market on three new color palettes that leverage our commitment to tailoring and that I believe will be the highlight of our product offerings this market,” Dyer told Home News Now. “The second major introduction builds on our modular program with a few unique features that we think our customers will love. There will be a lot of new furniture to get excited about at Kincaid Upholstery!”
He also noted that the line will continue to be priced as it has been previously.
“Our sweet spot is an eight-way hand-tied sofa with matched fabrics that retails from $1,999 to $2,999,” he said. “In that range we can offer fabrics that are four-way matched, amazing cushion options and a full range of decorative options. That allows us to fit in a price range that is often times a gap or ‘missing step’ for retailers. It is a good price range for our customers and we have seen a great deal of success there.”
Dyer also said that the company has hired some additional talent to help shorten lead times for its customers. He noted that lead times were about seven to eight weeks before the acquisition.
“While we have improved that some, an unexpected increase in orders has kept us from catching up as quickly as we had hoped,” he said. “Our plan is to return to a four- to five-week lead time by mid summer. We believe that is attainable.”
He credited the employees with much of the company’s success thus far.
“One of our major goals in the acquisition was to retain every employee in the factory so that no one would lose their job,” he said, noting that the company has added about 10 positions to the upholstery business thus far. “But just as impressive as the new employees are some of our longest-serving employees. We have eight employees with 40 or more years of experience with the company. In fact, our most tenured employee — John Johnson in product development — will celebrate 50 years with the company later this year. Our employees are amazing. A transition like this can be a stressful process, but we have had a great time working through it all together.”
The operation also is very vertical in nature, which also helps achieve quicker turnaround times for its customers.
“All Kincaid upholstery is produced in our Taylorsville, North Carolina, factory,” Dyer said. “There is some off-site warehousing that includes finishing, but otherwise everything is produced under one roof, from frame assembly to spring-up, cutting sewing, upholstery and trim.”
He also shared some additional thoughts on what the transition means for customers moving forward.
“We believe that we can maintain the things that they have appreciated about Kincaid Upholstery while answering some of the ‘wish list’ items they have asked for,” he said. “We understand that speed and quality are paramount factors for our customers’ business to be successful, so we will proceed with a level of discipline and take on new projects accordingly.”
In describing the company’s biggest assets, he said relationships continue to be key.
“It sounds like a cliché to say that our employees are our biggest asset, so maybe I would take that a step further and say that our relationships are our biggest asset,” he said. “That starts with our employees, but it also extends to our customers, sales representatives and vendors. We have been blessed to work with people in all those areas that we consider trustworthy friends. And trust is the main ingredient. For business relationships to grow and thrive, there must be trust.”
