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From Home Furnishing Business

Charleston Forge Celebrates 30th Anniversary

October 6, 2014  by in Casual Furniture, High Point, Industry, Market   

In 1984, Charleston Forge founders Art and Susan Barber set up shop in Boone, N.C., making interior casual furniture that would eventually be sold throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada.

“It’s so much fun to think back about our beginnings," Barber said. "There are so many fond memories of the people we’ve met along the way, the friendships we’ve developed and oh what stories we can tell.”

At its first High Point Market in October 1984, Charleston Forge’s offering included just five pieces of furniture. Since then, the company has grown considerably, currently offering more than 260 products, including dining and occasional tables, consoles, chairs, bar stools, baker’s racks, benches, mirrors, and beds, all made with combinations of wood and metal.

Everything is still handmade at the company’s Boone factory. Many of the company’s vendors are located within 100 miles of Boone, making it a
truly North Carolina operation.

Selling through a nationwide network of retailers and designers, the company prides itself on the quality of its product, the wide variety of styles it offers, and the fact that it is American-made. The company also does work for many designers, architects, and specifiers because of its ability to customize its products; and Charleston Forge offers customers the opportunity to develop their own original creation.

“We have a great team of product engineers who work closely with our customers to ensure that their ideas come to fruition in the way they imagined,” said Barber, adding that “our remarkably short turnaround time on customs is another reason we see so much business in that arena. We ship within six to eight weeks of design approval.”

Inline product ships in four to six weeks.

Over the past several years the company has introduced a variety of new product with a definite trend toward a more contemporary look.

Charleston Forge is marking the anniversary by introducing an anniversary collection that combines elements of its classic pieces while adding a cleaner, more contemporary look. The Woodland Collection, which includes a cocktail table, two end tables, a console, and a drink table, harkens back to the popular Timber Collection of some years ago. It features the company’s signature hand-hammered solid steel frame and a two-inch thick wood top.