by Last month, I took a call from a young man named Dan Troyer. He and his family own Briarwood Fine Furniture, which manufactures hardwood Amish-styled bedroom furniture in Ohio.
Knowing of my affiliation with the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association, Dan told me that growth at the company was so strong that he wanted some advice on finding the right reps that not only understood Amish furniture but could also explain the segment to retailers who might have an interest in domestically made hardwood bedroom furniture.
Ever curious, I began peppering Dan with questions about his business and, in particular, why it was enjoying steady growth each year.
What follows is a brief synopsis of my conversation with Dan. I found it interesting and hope that you will, too.
HNN: Tell me the history of Briarwood. Why, when and how did it come to be?
DT: In 1995, after many years of having woodworking as a hobby, Ammon Troyer, my father, struck out on his own and began building beds, fulfilling his lifelong dream of having his own business. Initially, his primary business was building beds, with the majority of those orders being private labeled. In 2015, my brother Eddie and I joined the business, and we launched our own brand of a complete line of bedroom furniture.
What was the objective of forming the company?
DT: Based on our growing orders, we felt there was a need in the industry for domestic hardwood furniture, and we sought to fill that need.
Give me a snapshot of the business. … location, range of products, price points, distribution model (who are you currently selling to?) and who currently interfaces with your retail customers?
DT: We are based in Holmes County, Ohio. Today, we offer more than 25 collections under four distinct lines of upper-medium to high-end price points. Our customer today features a strong base of independents, along with some larger players including Nebraska Furniture Mart and Cardi’s. Currently, we service our retailers through a combination of independent reps and in-house sales. Our current manufacturing footprint will allow us to do $6 million in sales and we have plenty of room for expansion.
Do you exhibit at any of the major furniture markets?
DT: We have a showroom on the fifth floor of The Radio Building on Main Street in High Point. That is our sole showroom.
Lots of people tend to think all Amish furniture is identical. Is this true? If not, tell me why.
DT: That may have been true 25 years ago, but today, there are a lot of variations, not only in style but also in construction. There is Amish furniture with plywood sides, plywood drawers, smaller scaling, ½- inch tops, etc. Then there is complete solid wood, larger-scaled furniture as well.
Every successful company offers specific features and benefits. What about Briarwood? How do you distinguish yourself from other bedroom makers? Other Amish bedroom makers?
DT: At Briarwood, it is pretty simple. It is all in the details. For example, we use 3/8-inch drawer bottoms versus ¼ inch. When the STURDY Act was passed, a lot of manufacturers moved to ¾ extension drawer slides that are not soft close. We were able to keep our full-extension, undermount soft-close drawer slides with an interlock system. And, we use formaldehyde-free finish on our furniture.
We also offer what we see as the easiest, most simple pricing program in the industry. We offer 13 colors in five wood species, along with any two-tone combination of those colors with no upcharges ever. All in a six- week lead time.
What do you see as the opportunities inherent from selling Made in America furniture?
DT: I think there is great interest, especially from younger buyers, in knowing how the furniture they intend to buy was manufactured. There is a great story to tell with Made in America. There is a lot lower carbon footprint, solid wood is the most sustainable source of material used to build furniture, and the little waste that we have is used to heat homes in the winter! Made in America creates jobs in America. And I think people are willing to pay a little more if they know what went into creating this piece.
What do you see as any challenges to selling Made in America furniture?
DT: From what I see as a domestic manufacturer is the importance of making sure you are properly telling every part of the Made in America story. Because when you make and sell domestically made furniture, you aren’t selling a price point. You have to make sure you are sharing the elements of craftsmanship, quality, attention to detail and more. It’s all about how you position yourself in the marketplace,
Is your company growing and, if so, why?
DT: We have enjoyed solid and steady growth and, since 2019, we have doubled our sales. A year ago on Labor Day week, we moved to a bigger facility where we now have expanded our capacity. We had been at two different locations and now consolidated that. We have really focused on customer service and quality of our product. Our goal is to make sure the consumer gets what they want, regardless of what it takes. As a result, our retailers have come to trust Briarwood to deliver their customer above and beyond expectations.
Where would you like to see your business in the next five years? What would be different about your customer base? Sales force? Products?
DT: We are here for the long term, so we like to build long- term relationships with both sales reps and retailers. One of our goals is to expand our distribution in the South and Western states. The relationships with independent reps has been working well, so we don’t have any intention of changing that model. We are laser focused on being the absolute best bedroom builder we can be, so we are not currently looking at other categories.
What do see in the future for Amish furniture made in America and why?
DT: I think the long-term future is bright for this category. If you look at the global furniture industry and see what a miniscule market share we have, we are really just scratching the surface. I realize with our price points there are people that will not buy our product, but what happens if we can just gain 1% of furniture market? I am excited for the future.
Any last thoughts?
DT: Actually, yes. I found it interesting that at the peak of the domestic hardwood lumber industry, the sector was producing 12 billion board feet a year. That number shrank to 5 billion feet as of 2022. Why? I think it is because we didn’t do a good enough job of educating people on the benefit of buying sustainable resources. And, by we, I mean everybody that uses hardwood lumber, not just those of us in the furniture sector.
