Tom Seely's reclaimed wood lines fill niche
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, July 4, 2005
Berkeley Springs, W.Va. — Tom Seely Furniture, a domestic manufacturer of solid-wood case goods and occasional, is finding a niche in goods produced from reclaimed wood.
Its April market introductions included a line in antique heart pine reclaimed from a 19th century factory in Jersey City, N.J. The wood, from the site of the former Whitlock Cordage factory, is used in a limited-edition series of four tables, a server, panel bed and nightstand.
The Whitlock pine series joins the company's dining tables in highly seasoned oak from antique English cider vats, and tables in heart pine from a former shoe factory in St. Louis.
The move is part of a commitment over the past several years by Gat Caperton, president and CEO of Tom Seely parent Caperton FurnitureWorks, to use reclaimed woods in limited-edition groups.
"This beautiful wood (from the New Jersey factory) was timbered prior to the Civil War, so we know it's at least 150 years old," Caperton said. "We build furniture from this great material with the goal of giving it another 150 years of life."
The dense-grained pine has nicks and marks and is finished with a light coating of protective sealant. "Heart pine is the original growth pine found on the East Coast," he said. "It's got fantastic durability like a hardwood, and a lot of character."
The site of the Whitlock Cordage factory, which closed in 1960, is at the center of an urban renewal project. The salvaged wood Tom Seely is using comes from two buildings out of the original eight that were beyond repair.
Caperton said reclaimed wood furniture comprises a small part of his company's sales, perhaps 5%, but generates interest at retail.
"It truly gives us something different for the retail floor," he said. "It's a relatively easy piece to sell because there's so much character and story behind it."
The company is working on another reclaimed wood project. "Odds are it will be (heart pine) from an old textile mill in South Carolina," Caperton said, "but we haven't finalized that."
Caperton FurnitureWorks produces goods under the Tom Seely and Gat Creek brands. Tom Seely specializes in antique reproductions, while Gat Creek offers a more contemporary lifestyle-oriented line.
