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From Home Furnishing Business
Greycork Launches E-Commerce Furniture Site
December 10,
2014 by in Furniture Retailing, Industry, Internet 
A new e-commerce furniture site, Greycork, launched Tuesday with line of solid wood furniture designed to set up in seconds.
The Brooks Collection, Greycork's initial offering is made in the United States, where all product is designed and produced. The company seeks to pave the way for other businesses designing and manufacturing goods domestically through its "locally-vertical" commerce business model.
Consumers spend over $220 billion on home furnishings each year, of which $78 billion is spent on furniture. However, convoluted websites and expensive shipping mean less than four percent of furniture sales occur online, compared to upwards of 14 percent in other consumer verticals. Greycork's furniture ships for free to anywhere in the U.S. within one to five business days with free returns.
"We saw an opportunity to reinvent the customer experience of furniture, by offering a smooth and overall more modern online shopping experience," said John Humphrey, CEO and co-founder of Greycork, Boston, Mass. "We kept the end user in mind throughout every step, from the look and ease of the website, through the shipping process, to the minimalist aesthetic, and the quality and functionality of the furniture itself. We've made an effort to be as thoughtful as possible, and it's going to get even better from here."
Greycork uses natural materials and creates a unique feel from piece to piece by consciously allowing for some knots and sapwood in its furniture. The company's inaugural solid-wood collection, Brooks, offers a dining table or desk, a coffee table, and a bench in three different wood options: ash, white oak, and walnut. The legs are available in two different finishes and are designed so that the furniture can be set up or broken down in seconds.
Through its "locally-vertical" business model, Greycork will establish regionally based manufacturing locations across the country. Products will be designed for regional tastes and manufactured using regional resources, with the intent to ship primarily to regional customers. Though its products are available nationwide, Greycork is testing this model through its current New England-based manufacturing operation.
In Greycork, Humphrey saw an opportunity to impact and elevate the manufacturing industry as a whole, including his own family's manufacturing plant in Southeastern Massachusetts. To produce the furniture and create a seamless buying experience, John partnered with co-founders Alec Babala and Myung Chul "Bruce" Kim, both recent graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, specializing in user experience design and furniture design, respectively.
Together, they are building a brand that seeks to blur the line between online and offline, by making real connections with their customers and fan-base through authentic storytelling and surprising sociability. The company plans to release a sofa in the first quarter next year, with additional products targeted for release in the second and fourth quarters.