Exploring the History of North Carolina Furniture Manufacturers
Mumford is proud to call North Carolina home. We have a profound reverence for craftsmanship, which has been
For generations, North Carolina has produced some of the most beautifully crafted furniture in the United States. However, most of this North-Carolina-made furniture was hand-crafted and was therefore out of reach for the average American.
That changed in the 20th century. Manufacturers like Drexel, Hickory, White, Craftique, and Century offered the average American a chance to own beautiful, quality furniture made by local craftspeople.
Many of you probably own a few items from these manufacturers!
How did they manage to compete with large, well-funded furniture makers from large cities in the Northwest and Midwest?
Every story is different, but experienced business owners, respected blue collar craftspeople, and smart marketing made the difference!
We hope this blog series will help you learn more about manufacturers that were able to showcase North Carolinian’s artistry and craftsmanship!
Above right: A mid-century version of Drexel Furniture Company's logo.
Above left: The Drexel Furniture Company, circa 1906.
The Story of Drexel Furniture Company
Mumford Restoration has spent 40 years restoring and repairing antique and heirloom quality furniture, so we know a well-made piece of furniture when we see it. And when we see Drexel furniture, we know to expect excellent construction and finishes.
For most of the 20th century, if you went into a “good” furniture showroom in North Carolina, you would find Drexel furniture.
Like so many respected furniture manufacturers, Drexel was founded in North Carolina and relied upon North Carolinian craftsmanship and expertise.
How did this company, which started with only 50 craftspeople, become one of the most successful and revered furniture manufacturers in American history?
What made Drexel’s furniture so sought after?
Above: 1947 Drexel Furniture advertisement
Drexel’s Beginnings
On November 10, 1903, Samuel Huffman (1855-1922) and his five co-founders opened the Drexel Furniture Company with an initial investment of $14,000 (approximately $500,000 in 2025). During Huffman’s presidency, Drexel furniture focused on producing affordable, solidly-made, practical furniture: mostly dressers and wash stands.
At first Drexel was strictly a manufacturer and did not dictate the style, price, or market for its furniture. These decisions were left to these outside vendors. Sometimes Drexel’s furniture was even sold as “k.d. (knockdown) pieces” which were similar to flat-packed furniture today: it was mailed out unassembled and would be assembled upon receipt at the seller’s location.
This strategy worked well for Drexel and allowed them to buy out the nearby Blue Ridge Furniture Co.
Upon Samuel Huffman’s passing in 1922, his son Frank, O. Huffman, Sr (1881-1935). became president of the company.
In 1935, following his brother’s passing, Robert O. Huffman (1890-1978) became president of Drexel Furniture and shifted Drexel’s focus to mid-priced, more fashionable furniture and increased advertising efforts to publicize the company’s updated offerings.
Above: A 1949 Drexel Furniture advertisement.
Robert Huffman dispensed with knock-down, wholesale furniture and instead made Drexel Furniture available to retail stores and paid commission to salespeople who sold Drexel pieces.
In 1947, Huffman began to allot funding for advertising campaigns, which was relatively uncommon in the era. As Problems in Advertising noted in 1961, furniture manufacturers tended not to market aggressively. Retailers resisted small manufacturer’s advertising efforts, as they preferred that the consumer focus on the seller, not the manufacturer. Many retailers even removed makers’ marks and substituted their own names.
By 1950, Huffman had replaced commissioned independent salespeople with a salaried sales staff.
Above: 1957 ad for Drexel's Profile collection
Huffman held craftspeople in high regard and advised against micromanagement, remarking, “Get good men to the job and leave them alone to do it."
In 1963, the Newcomen Society in North America held a dinner to honor Huffman. During the course of the dinner, Huffman attributed Drexel’s success to its respect for its craftspeople:
Every person who works for the company is important . . . Employees may vary in ability and responsibility, but Drexel considers each an individual, himself, and important in the operation.
Left: 1958 ad for Drexel's Declaration collection.
The Spring 1952 North Carolina Employment Security Commission Quarterly Report noted high morale at the Drexel factory, as Drexel provided significant benefits to its employees. These benefits included:
Right: Ad for Drexel's 1969 Eastrend collection.
Post-War Years
After World War II, Drexel Furniture profited from the housing boom as young Americans bought homes, thanks to their carefully saved pay from military service and war industry work.
Home design magazines from the post-war decades highlight the versatility of Drexel’s designs.
From Colonial-style tradition, mid-century-modern sleekness, and groovy aesthetics of the 60s and 70s, Drexel accommodated nearly any design sensibility.
Left: 1970 ad for Drexel's Drexel One bedroom collection.
Drexel’s marketing and sales growth featured in Problems in Marketing, a 1961 business study of several contemporary American businesses. The authors list Drexel’s share of the wooden household furniture market at certain points over 16 years:
1935: 0.5%
1947: 1.0%
1950: 1.5%
As Drexel’s market share increased, revenue skyrocketed between 1947 and 1958.
Amounts in parentheses indicate modern-day equivalents, adjusted for inflation)
1928: $2 million ($37 million in 2025)
1947: $11 million ($164 million in 2025)
1951: $20 million ($253 million in 2025)
1958: $34 million ($382 million in 2025)
Drexel’s increasing popularity and revenue allowed it to expand steadily throughout the next twenty years.
Above: Drexel's living room furniture featured
on the cover of a 1976 Home and Garden magazine.
Some of its most notable acquisitions and mergers include:
1951: Table Rock Furniture
1957: Morganton Furniture Company
1957: Heritage Furniture, Inc.
1962 Southern Desk Company
These acquisitions lent Drexel additional versatility, which it used to diversify its furniture lines.
For example, Drexel had not produced its own upholstered furniture until the late 1950s. Until that time, it had purchased upholstered pieces from other companies when certain collections required these pieces. When Drexel acquired Heritage Furniture, a noted manufacturer of quality upholstered pieces, Drexel began to offer pieces under the Drexel Heritage brand name.
The new acquisitions allowed Drexel to expand its offerings to commercial buyers. Drexel signed contracts with hotels, government agencies, etc. These lucrative contracts saw Drexel furniture become common fixtures in fine hotels as well as U.S. Embassy offices.
By 1957, Drexel had ten manufacturing facilities and employed 2,300 hourly workers who lived in the surrounding small towns.
Workers received a wage and, under a company profit-sharing plan, received annual bonuses that could total between 5 and 8 weeks’ pay.
The average hourly wage in the southern furniture industry was $1.32 an hour at the time ($15.37 in 2025)
Above: A 1979 ad for Drexel Heritage upholstered furniture.
The Style of the Time
In the 1950s, Drexel narrowed its focus on producing popular modern furniture. Where traditional-style furniture comprised nearly 75% of Drexel’s sales in 1948, by 1955, traditional design comprised less than 33% of their sales.
Drexel began offering franchise opportunities to retailers of mid- and high-end furniture. Typically, a franchisee would be required to stock and display representative pieces of Drexel lines and then advertise them locally.
By 1957, Drexel offered approximately 1200 assorted pieces of furniture across various styles. Drexel’s goal was to sell each family 50-80 pieces of dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture that shared a particular style or theme.
Left: Drexel Heritage's 1993 Biltmore Collection.
Changing Hands
In 1968, it was Drexel’s turn to become part of a larger organization. U.S. Plywood Champion Papers purchased the company, which then became Drexel Heritage Furnishings, Inc.
Under U.S. Plywood Champion Papers, Drexel developed a unified retail system that aimed to keep the entire Drexel-Heritage retail system in-house. Dedicated Drexel Heritage stores were built and conventional stores were given Drexel galleries. Business continued to grow.
In 1977, investment bank Dominick International Corporation purchased Drexel Heritage and further expanded the company's retail presence.
By 1983, the company operated 70 Drexel Heritage stores as well as 330 other venues for its products.
In 1986, Masco Corporation acquired Drexel Heritage.
In 2014, Heritage Home Group bought Drexel.
In 2018, Heritage Home Group declared bankruptcy, at which point Samson Holdings, a Chinese-based furniture company, purchased Drexel.
Above right: Biltmore's 2001 Insignia collection.
Trusting Mumford with Your Heirlooms
After 40 years in the furniture restoration business, Bernard Mumford is an encyclopedia when it comes to antique and vintage furniture. From the wood type, style, manufacturer, and state or national origin. He hand picked our restoration specialists and taught them everything he knows.
Mumford Restoration understands the craftsmanship that Drexel’s extraordinary artisans leveraged to create these beautiful pieces. We demand the same craftsmanship and high standards from our own craftspeople and know what a skilled artisan can create.
If you have an heirloom quality piece from a manufacturer like Drexel, you can trust the experts at Mumford to clean, repair, and restore it.
Call Mumford Restoration today and find out what a difference Mumford can make!
Below: A Drexel Heritage vanity before and after Mumford Restorations artisans restored it!