US Furniture Manufacturing

September 13, 2012 8:04 AM

Can anyone recommend resources, companies or strategies for finding suitable US furniture manufacturers for a line of new designs?

We would like to produce locally, but need guidance in terms of identifying the right manufacturer. This would be a mass-produced product.

posted by beisny to work & money (3 answers total)

North Carolina, I think, has more furniture factories than any other state. Here's a list. And here's a story about one such factory that closed down after moving production overseas and then re-opened.
posted by mareli at 8:21 AM on September 13, 2012

What kind of furniture? Made out of what? How big is it? How many do you want to sell? Are we talking ten thousand units or a million units? Are you selling direct or at third-party retail stores? What's your value for "locally"?

Really need more details here. Every single one of those, especially the last one, could potentially make quite a bit of difference.
posted by valkyryn at 8:30 AM on September 13, 2012

Thanks for your questions, valkyryn

Product range: We are developing benches, tables and also a children's bassinet product.

Materials: Mostly wood, but some metal piping well.

Volume: our goal is to sell units in the hundreds of thousands, but obviously we would have to grow into that kind of volume with initial orders likely to be in the thousands.

Location: We would consider anything in the continental US, but all things equal, close proximity to NYC would be great. We are really looking for a long-term relationship here.
posted by beisny at 8:53 AM on September 13, 2012