#Drexel mahogony furniture old catalogs trial#

He delegated authority, declaring his managerial philosophy was to “get good men to the job and leave them alone to do it, ” Nevertheless, the younger Huffman would make several managerial decisions that would facilitate the company ’s fortunes. In 1935 the last of Drexel ’s four principal founders died, and Samuel Huffman ’s son Robert O. National advertising eventually began in 1937. During this period the company moved away from wholesale distribution, relying instead on retail stores and commission salesmen located throughout the country. Suffering the effects of the Great Depression, however, net sales at Drexel fell to $1.3 million in 1935, and the company ’s cash balance fell alarmingly.

By the following year North Carolina led all states in the production of wooden furniture. In 1928, Drexel ’s sales were above $2 million and its total assets about $1.7 million. Drexel ’s net worth had passed the $500,000 mark by the end of 1922, and in the following year a 1300 percent stock dividend was declared and a plant acquired in Morganton. Styles offered by northern manufacturers were copied, and the quality of the products improved. in neighboring Marion had been acquired by cash payment.īetween the two world wars Drexel and other Piedmont furniture manufacturers in North Carolina and Virginia expanded their markets beyond the South into national furniture markets. By 1918 the plant had grown by 20,000 square feet, and the Blue Ridge Furniture Co. Low costs enabled Piedmont companies like Drexel to undersell northern competition in their native area. Also called “selling in the white, ” this practice saved money on freight. Sometimes Drexel shipped furniture to these agents “kd ” (knocked down, or in parts), so that it could be assembled elsewhere.

#Drexel mahogony furniture old catalogs trial#

” During Drexel ’s earliest period its workers and managers had to learn the trade by trial and error, and the company had to entrust most of its sales to outside agents who designed and priced, in addition to selling, the furniture. The Drexel plant burned down in late 1906 but was rebuilt with an insurance payment of $25,000.Ī pioneer in the furniture industry later conceded that “North Carolina factories in those days were accused of selling lumber and not furniture. Production began with about 50 workers making oak dressers, washstands, and chiffonniers. The finished building, erected on the site of Huffman ’s sawmill, was accompanied by a second facility for the finishing and shipping department. Burke County, in which Drexel is located, was still about one-third untouched forest in 1903 and had not a single mile of decent road. Starting operations on a shoestring budget was typical of this era for the furniture industry of the Piedmont region, which relied on ample supplies of hardwood, water power potential, and low-cost and plentiful labor. Their initial investment of $14,000 went towards erecting a factory and installing furniture-making machinery within. Both enterprises were operated by Samuel Huffman, who with five Morganton businessmen founded the company. At the time this community consisted of little more than a railroad siding built to accommodate a sawmill and flour mill. was founded in 1903 in Drexel, about five miles east of Morganton, North Carolina. A subsidiary since 1986 of Masco Corp., the world ’s largest furniture manufacturer, Drexel Heritage is also a retailer of home furnishing accessories. has been producing furniture for almost a century. Employees: 5,000 Sales: $200 million SICs: 2511 Wood Household Furniture 2512 Upholstered Wood Household Furniture 2521 Wood Office Furniture 2522 Office Furniture, Except Wood 5023 Home Furnishingsīased in the foothills of North Carolina ’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Drexel Heritage Furnishings Inc. Incorporated: 1903 as Drexel Furniture Co. Main Street Drexel, North Carolina 28619 U.S.A.