Although the domestic furniture market still has some uncertainty, Edith Brady can't imagine a time anytime soon when the home furnishings industry will vanish from High Point.
Although the city is no longer the major manufacturing center it once was, corporate headquarters are still here and lots of niche markets tied to the industry are still thriving.
"It's changing and evolving," she said.
Brady's vantage point on the business is as a historian — she's the director of the High Point Museum, which includes a Furniture Heritage Project that spans more than 2,000 square feet of the museum space. She said that in such a time of uncertainty and change, she hopes the project will spark some thoughts and questions about the industry.
The first furniture manufacturer in High Point began production in 1889, Brady said, and the first furniture market opened in 1909 with little more than some warehouse space and lined-up furniture pieces. The High Point Market now boasts 10 million square feet of showroom space.
The furniture heritage exhibit opened in 2009, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of High Point. About 15,000 people a year come to the museum, and most of them will go through the exhibit while there, Brady said.
Like many a factory worker, visitors start the exhibit by punching in — there's a reproduction of a time clock at the entrance to the exhibit that you can stamp with a souvenir time card that includes data on wages and hours for furniture factory workers.
Inside, there's a machine that skilled workers used to make multiple spindles at a time to create such things as table and chair legs. There's also a section that demonstrates the changes as unfinished wood transforms into a finished chest of drawers called a highboy.
Saturday afternoon, Thomas McCallister III of Kernersville, 10, enjoyed turning the blades of a lathe.
His father, Thomas McCallister II, said he has tinkered with making small pieces for the porch but enjoyed learning how factory workers made more high-end furniture.
"I'm fascinated by it," he said.
The exhibit's old pictures of factory workers have proven to be a big draw, said Corinne Midgett, the museum's registrar. She said the exhibit helps bring out the character and personality of the area.
"A lot of people have personal ties to the exhibit," she said. Many of them come to look for family members in the old photos, she said.
Some evidence last year may have foreshadowed improvements in the domestic furniture industry. Analysts have started talking about a possible resurgence in the industry here as shipping, materials and labor costs increase in overseas manufacturing centers such as China.
And last year, the High Point Market held its first ever "Made in America" pavilion, with 16,000 square feet of display space for domestically made products.
"It's interesting to watch," Brady said. "It's a story that's still being written."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement