Old-school furniture manufacturing meets new media

Quality furniture is still manufactured in the United States, but to turn a profit one furniture maker is using the Web instead of traditional retail channels.
The retail-marketing model has served the furniture industry well; however, the people who make the furniture never got a chance to speak directly with the consumer. However, all that is changing thanks to the Web and social media.
CarolinaChair.com, is a direct-to-consumer custom furniture manufacturer that takes orders via their Web site and over the phone. The Hickory, N.C., based shop handcrafts one piece at a time and lets customers create the sofa, loveseat or chair that they want. Because the middleman is gone (the retailer) custom is more affordable. This is a smart business model and it’ll be interesting to see if other furniture manufacturers pull up their traditional marketing roots and try something new.