Goodwill Shopping and Broyhill Furniture News!

I am a passionate supporter of Goodwill Industries and try to visit at least one (and usually four) of the Goodwill of North Georgia stores every Tuesday.  Tuesdays are "senior citizens days" and they offer a whopping 25% off.  The stores are really busy that day and the deals are great.  Of course, in addition to buying, I do make a LOT of donations - mostly clothes and fabrics I am no longer interested in using.

Although I am open to other options, I usually buy one or more of three categories of goods:

• books
• upholstered furniture with good label and/or good foundation for refurbishing
• down/feather pillow inserts (discarding covers)

This week, I added to the already tall stack of books at my bedside with some additions - I've already started "Oxygen" (written by an anesthesiologist and absolutely fascinating).  I don't know who their patron(s) are at the Dunwoody Perimeter store, but that Goodwill store has the best books and I never fail to find a stack to buy if I start looking ($1.50 minus 25% - what a deal)!

My other purchase this week was a set of "vintage" Broyhill wingback chairs.  The shape of the legs and curved base were interesting to me and vintage Broyhill is well made including that gold standard of upholstered furniture - hand-tied 8-coil steel coils in the foundation.  The wood is in so-so condition, so I plan to paint black and have not yet decided on an upholstery fabric.

This purchase made me curious about the question:  Is Broyhill furniture still made in America?  I went to the Broyhill website and the issue is not specifically addressed but I noticed an interesting fact - Broyhill is owned by an international furniture manufacturer that also owns a number of pricier brands such as Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Maitland-Smith - see press-release excerpt below.

From their website:  

HISTORY OF BROYHILL

For more than a century, the name Broyhill has been associated with fine-quality furniture. Throughout all that time, the guiding force that has defined the company and its products has been a commitment to quality and value. Today, the Broyhill brand is one of the most recognized brands in the industry.  company website

Headquartered in Lenoir, North Carolina, Broyhill is a subsidiary of Furniture Brands International (NYSE:FBN), which produces, sources and markets six of the best-known brand names in the industry – Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Maitland-Smith.

I actually think this information answers the question about American manufacturing - not just for this brand but for some others as well - a sad but true state of affairs!

Chairs Purchased - Getting Ready to Refurbish