Shenandoah Furniture to open plant in Mount Airy, N.C.

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 12, 2013

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — North Carolina upholstery manufacturer Shenandoah Furniture has announced it will open a plant here, the Mount Airy News reported.

Shenandoah's announcement came a little more than a month after Henredon Furniture said it would be closing its Mount Airy plant, idling more than 100 workers, the newspaper said.

Details on when Shenandoah would open a facility and how many it might employ were not disclosed. But the company said in a statement that the availability of skilled craftspeople in the Mount Airy area was a factor in its decision.

Shenandoah President Candace Payne said in the statement, "In today's economy and competitive market, we are fortunate that we are in a position to invest in an expansion in order to meet our current production demands." The company said it specializes in "high quality sofas and chairs in the upper medium price range, primarily for private labels, such as Crate and Barrel, Room & Board, and Design Within Reach."

Mount Airy's mayor, Deborah Cochran, said it was "great news" for the city. The head of the local Economic Development Partnership said there was still much work to be done, and that the organization is working with Shenandoah on finding a building, the News reported.