by Fine furniture has become a passion and sometimes obsession for the author of this column
HIGH POINT — I love it when folks get a good laugh at or are able to poke polite fun at me. It’s happened plenty of times over the years, so I’m used to it. In fact, I welcome it.
By now many in the industry have come to learn of what’s become a passion, or perhaps obsession, with yours truly: collecting fine furniture. Some of my closest industry friends and colleagues already know this. HNN contributor Brian Carroll most definitely let the cat out of the bag in his recent column about how “stuff” is fueling a multibillion-dollar storage-unit segment. To which I am supporting wholeheartedly with some of my furniture purchases over the past 10 months or so.
First the backstory. Covering some of the most renowned brands in the industry for many years gives you a deep appreciation for both design and craftsmanship in case goods and upholstery. It also makes you a little envious of what other folks can acquire at lofty retail prices. Of late, I’ve found many respected brands at consignment, acquiring them not just for a fraction of their retail price, but also at a fraction of their wholesale price, or what their wholesale price would have been 10, 15, 20 years ago or more.
We’re talking anywhere from a couple hundred to several hundred dollars on pieces that have stood the test of time. Some of these pieces have well-known names that have come and gone such as Thomasville, Henredon and Drexel, to name a few. Others are still with us, such as Maitland-Smith and Hickory Chair, both of which were once part of the former Furniture Brands and Heritage Home corporate monikers.
Note that Century, part of Rock House Farm, was wise enough to invest in two of the aforementioned brands — along with Pearson — as part of the Heritage Home bankruptcy. It recognized and saw value in what they represented, particularly among designers and luxury furniture retailers. Not only did the brands have an amazing history, they also aligned with the greatness of Century and its other sister brands such as Highland House, Hancock & Moore and Jessica Charles, to name several that are also part of Rock House Farm.
Another respected luxury furniture resource worth mentioning that’s in the same geographic region of North Carolina as Rock House Farm is Sherrill Furniture. It also has a number of highly respected brands including Hickory White, CTH Sherrill Occasional, Precedent, Lillian August and Mr. and Mrs. Howard, to name several.
These brands and many others in the marketplace not mentioned here also have high value, particularly among those who want a beautifully decorated home.
Part of the appeal lies in well-loved traditional designs that include Chippendale, Queen Anne, American Colonial, Louis XVI and Georgian, not to mention more modern forms such as Bauhaus, Midcentury Modern, Art Deco and Hollywood Regency. The appeal also includes quality features such as solid wood construction, wood-on-wood drawer guides, dust-proofing in drawer boxes and dovetail drawers. In upholstery, it’s always about the tailoring, but also the beauty of the fabrics and solid wood frames.
Of course, none of this is to say that one can’t have a beautiful home full of Ikea or any other furniture made with paper and particleboard. For those looking for a contemporary or modern design aesthetic, such options provide a sanctuary of sorts that also are more affordable. This particularly appeals to many younger consumers with limited budgets and who don’t want anything that remotely looks like an antique.
Many reading this column likely gravitated to similar styles in our 20s and 30s. But as we grew older, many of us slowly but surely came to appreciate their more traditional and even stylish contemporary/modern counterparts as they have a sort of timeless appeal.
So what does all this have to do with the accumulation of “stuff” or, in this case, furniture? One could argue none of this traditional, timeworn “stuff” holds value to today’s consumers. I disagree wholeheartedly. Just ask those upholstery resources who have returned to familiar traditional patterns ranging from florals and plaids to tapestry-inspired designs.
And yes, the market will one day include younger consumers who particularly begin to appreciate more traditional forms. Many will be introduced to such designs in their travels, be it the castles of Barcelona or Scotland, the dining areas and entryways of Monticello or Mount Vernon, or simply the public areas of hotels like the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank, New Jersey, or the Omni Grove Park Inn of Asheville, which has a wealth of Arts and Crafts furniture for the visitor to behold.
They’ll also see such time-tested forms in the magnificent Stickley Museum in Fayetteville, New York. No matter what age you are — if you walk through that treasure trove of historical pieces and don’t see something that you like or want, you might very well just avoid such places in the future and just head to Wal-Mart or Target and check out the furniture there.
So, yes, there’s a market for well-kept, historical furniture, not to mention furniture in need of refinishing as some consumers like making an old piece new once again.
Yes while having three (actually five storage units) full of this “stuff” probably seems a bit much, this “stuff” has some inherent value, particularly among those who appreciate the brands of days gone by whether it’s Harden, Statton, Drexel, Thomasville, Hekman, Pennsylvania House, etc. … (Brian’s excellent taste includes Pennsylvania House and Kindel both of which have a place in his home! I am impressed and may even want to buy a few pieces from him! But I doubt he’ll sell because he too loves this “stuff.”)
Indeed, for now, much of the furniture in these units is just sitting there taking up space and contributing to the $40 billion storage unit industry. Yet, for the time being, this furniture frenzy also is helping an industry journalist understand the dynamics of retail, whether it’s buying the right pieces, hauling them to a warehouse (storage unit), not to mention managing the cost of inventory and marketing it properly with good photos and product descriptions to ultimately sell on the right platform.
Perhaps the best part is the thrill of making a sale and seeing the gratitude of a young couple probably in their early 30s who recently purchased a beautiful Hekman cocktail from me, paying $500 on the spot, no questions asked. “You just can’t find this type of stuff at Rooms To Go,” one of them said, realizing they were buying a piece of history now that the brand is gone.
So, yes, there is a market and hence value for this “stuff” among younger and older consumers alike.
Of course this also makes me think of a story that someone told me about a relative who stopped smoking and drinking after several decades. They saved $7,000 a year overnight once they quit cold turkey — this was more than 20 years ago. Just think of how much furniture they could have had!!!
The lesson? Some “stuff” is much more valuable than other “stuff.” Just don’t get me started on the guitar collection. Then you all might really think I’ve lost it.
