Furniture sellers developed the practice of buying furniture at wholesale
prices from manufacturers and selling them in showrooms, which gained
popularity in the mid-1800s. Large stores kept their own workshops for
specialty items. With the rapid development of retail trade the direct link
between the customer and the furniture maker began to disappear. By the early
1900s mass production of furniture was well established in the United States,
with principal manufacturing centers at Jamestown, New York; High Point, North
Carolina; and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Grand Rapids initially developed a reputation for high-quality, high-end
living room and dining room furniture. In the 1920s the city became well known
for inexpensive but reliable furniture. Due to the continued need for
hand-crafted items, furniture factories never became very large, and usually
employed about 100 people.
Before and after World War II (1939–1945)
there was a shortage of wood products, and hard times hit the furniture
industry. The industry recovered slowly in the 1950s with the introduction of
new wood materials, woodworking machinery, adhesives, and wood finishes. It
became increasingly difficult to discern whether a piece of furniture was made
commercially or crafted by hand. Larger furniture factories were laid out with
conveyor belts to enable the high-volume mass production needed to fill a
constant supply of orders.
In attempts to generate more sales many manufacturers entered agreements
with retailers to showcase their products. The concept proved successful as the
manufacturer had access to a dedicated retail outlet, and the retailer received
proprietary rights on the goods. A vendor-ship program was also created,
allowing consumers to choose the furniture in a showroom and then having the
manufacturer ship these items directly to their household; this allowed the
showroom to carry less inventory. Wholesale distribution of furniture became
divided into two categories: household/garden and office/business.
History has shown that interest rates and housing sales affect the furniture
industry. When economic indicators are strong, the furniture industry has
higher retail sales. Between 1992 and 1993 a five to six percent growth
occurred in upholstered wood furniture, expanding the market for manufacturers.
Statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1987, listed 6,819
wholesale furniture distribution establishments with combined sales totaling
$18.63 billion. By 1996 sales had increased to $28.78 billion with an estimated
7,194 establishments. Employment in the furniture industry increased from about
69,000 in 1992 to about 81,000 in 1996. By the late 1990s much of the industry
growth came from sales to offices, hotels, and restaurants.So if you interested
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