This Guy's U.S.-made
N.C. company revives Chaddock line
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 18, 2008
Morganton, N.C. — When a U.S. furniture maker closes its doors, they usually stay shut for good.
So when Bakersfield, Calif.-based reproductions manufacturer Guy Chaddock & Co. said in the summer of 2004 that it was closing after 48 years, it looked like the end for the respected company.
Enter Darrell Ferguson, chairman of Morganton, N.C.-based high-end furniture source Ferguson Copeland. Over the years, including his time as an executive for Drexel Heritage and Marge Carson, he had come to appreciate the Chaddock line.
"Guy Chaddock was one of the companies we always admired for its finish and for its cleanness and simplicity," he said. "It's furniture maker's furniture. It is simple in terms of execution and has high quality."
Ferguson and business partner Fred Copeland had expressed an interest in the company before. In the early 1990s they had hoped to bring it into the Marge Carson line.
When Ferguson heard the company was closing in 2004, he contacted Chaddock's president, David Edwards. By the fall, Ferguson Copeland had acquired various Guy Chaddock assets and designs and moved the operation to Morganton.
Today, except for chairs made in Mexico and some turned carvings brought in from New Jersey, all the wood pieces and upholstery frames are made in North Carolina.
According to Ferguson, the Chaddock line has not only survived but it has thrived. He said sales in the brand last year were 57% up over 2006, although he did not disclose a dollar amount, and said the company expects continued double-digit growth.
About 80% of Guy Chaddock's sales are in dining room furniture, with sets usually retailing from $5,000 to $6,000 for a table and six chairs.
For Ferguson Copeland, the acquisition represented a change in strategy. It was bringing in much of its line from Vietnam and was focused on importing, not manufacturing.
In taking on the Chaddock line, it hired Edwards to run the operation and brought a dozen members of the company's manufacturing team on board from California. They included some people of Mexican heritage who knew the line and had a knack for wood processing and finishing.
"There is a certain amount of artistry that is inherent with Hispanic people," Ferguson said. "They have the talent to execute these beautiful finishes, and we have been able to absorb a great deal of their approach to finishing."
Edwards said Guy Chaddock kept its jigs and patterns from the California plant, helping the line retain many of its original design elements.
Combined, Chaddock and Ferguson Copeland employ 200 workers, including some 175 in manufacturing, with 40 assigned to Chaddock. They work in two main plants here that cover nearly 500,000 square feet.
About 30% of the Chaddock wood line is customized. More than 50 finishes are offered, and tables can be sized to customer specifications, said Gordon Guyon, vice president of sales and marketing and a partner in Ferguson Copeland.
"Today people want what they want and they want the size they want. We don't fill an order until we have it," he said.
Steven Avitable, vice president of furniture merchandising for Robert Allen/Beacon Hill, said sales for the Chaddock line are growing at his company's 14 designer showrooms.
"Its history is that it is beautifully designed and scaled product," Avitable said, adding that Ferguson Copeland has maintained the integrity of the line. "It's always been a mainstay. When it was right, it stayed right."
Avitable believes the domestic manufacture of the line is a key to its success.
"It gives you the ability to do customization, which to the design industry, is critical," he said. "It still is beautiful quality, bench-made American furniture."
Jim Greenbaum, owner of Paterson, N.J.-based Greenbaum Interiors, has carried the line for at least 20 years and likes its finishes, distressing and quality. He said he is pleased that Edwards and Ferguson Copeland have maintained the line's high standards and custom approach.
"I believe they have done an excellent job," Greenbaum said. "Each shipment gets better and better."
Ferguson expects domestic manufacturing will grow in importance for both the Chaddock and Ferguson Copeland lines. He said Guy Chaddock has represented about 25% of the company's sales and is expected to reach 35% this year.
He said the Chaddock line is a "simple product" but has to be manufactured right.
"It has to be done with care, quality and the right materials in terms of craftsmanship," said Ferguson. "There are very few lines in the country I could relate to that would have the ability to attain a price point Chaddock is able to maintain with what goes into the finish. There are pockets (of opportunity) out there at the very high end for domestic manufacturing."
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