by MORGANTON, N.C. — Shortly after the April High Point Market, Home News Now visited EJ Victor, a manufacturer of luxury upholstery and case goods based in Morganton, North Carolina. The tour of the 180,000-square-foot plant provided a glimpse of the company’s production capabilities in each category. It’s a custom process that results in nearly 90% of the case goods mix and 100% of its upholstery to be manufactured domestically. Keeping production in North Carolina, where the company was founded some 30 years ago, also allows it to maintain the quality standards that customers have come to expect over their history of buying products for their retail floors or for their clients.
Below are some photos we took during the tour, capturing some of its more than 100 production professionals at work using the skills they have honed over many years spent collectively at the company. Their dedication to tasks ranging from cutting and sewing to upholstering and finishing offers a level of detail that some would say is unmatched in the market. Each day, they bring those details to life thanks to their hard work and years of experience.
We also have included a video interview below that Tom Russell did with CEO Richard Oliver filmed at the company’s High Point showroom.
Tony Grady is seen assembling wood components to be used in the frame of an ottoman. He has worked in the industry for 38 years, including four at EJ Victor.
Just a short distance away, Roy Barrier, who has 37 years of industry experience, is seen building the frame of an end table.
Ralph Setzer builds a chair frame at the EJ Victor plant.
Mark McKinney, plant manager, shows a turned leg that will be used on a piece of upholstery.
Don Auton works in the machine room at the plant, feeding a board into a sander.
Rex Jessup feeds a board into a planer that smooths the edges of pieces of solid wood.
Tracy Mayfield puts glue on the edges of a wood frame. Mayfield has worked at the company for more than 40 years.
Shawn Austin, who has worked at the plant nearly 13 years, sands a table frame featuring a decorative wood base.
Robert Stamey, who has worked at the plant for more than 15 years, is seen sanding and finishing chair legs.
Ken Smith, a 14-year employee of EJ Victor, sands an accent table.
Mich Gonzalez applies a decorative woven covering to part of a table frame.
Wood panels are seen being cut on a bandsaw into pieces that will be used in the production of finished product.
Aaron Bailey applies layers of material to a sofa frame, part of a multilevel work in progress.
Terry Wheeler looks over the work he has done on an eight-way, hand-tied upholstery frame.
Steven Gregory works on a sofa frame that also features eight-way, hand-tied construction.
Wes Swaim upholsters a chair frame featuring a leaf pattern.
Brandon Pndley applies and trims fabric for a chair frame.
Edwin Valasquez applies pieces of fabric to the panel of a king-sized bed.
Sewers are seen at their stations working with multiple fabrics that will later be applied to finished product.
Susan Vess and Misty Grant are seen looking at fabrics for various quality issues before they get sent on to be applied to various upholstery frames.
