There is a long and distinguished list of American furniture manufacturers who - unable to compete with these inexpensive imports - have ceased manufacturing operations in the United States or, worse yet, closed their doors completely.
There are, however, a number of American companies who are still thriving. Before we go any further, let’s face facts; you will, in most cases, pay a bit more for American-made furniture. American manufacturers pay their workers decent wages and usually provide a package of employee benefits. Many of the surviving companies are small, non-traditional operations. Two excellent examples are Gat Creek Furniture and The Keystone Collection (Martin Wood Products). Where can you find American made furniture in Winston-Salem, NC? Right here at Bowen, of course.
Both Gat Creek and Keystone employ Amish craftsmen almost exclusively. Gat Creek’s furniture is built in a number of small woodworking shops in Ohio and West Virginia, then shipped to the factory in West Virginia for finishing and packaging for shipment. Keystone builds its furniture in Pennsylvania. Both of these companies provide solid cherry, oak, maple, and birch hardwood furniture of exemplary quality.
Is American furniture worth the difference in price? All you need do is sit down in a Gat Creek or Keystone chair and then move to a $75 chair…you’ll FEEL the answer. You’ll sit around the kitchen table for hours in perfect comfort. Leave a cold drink sitting on a cheaper table and you’ll find the paper-thin veneers peeling off the fiberboard core the next morning…irreparable damage. Leave that same cold drink sitting on a Keystone table and all you’ll need to do is wipe the water off the solid cherry top with its catalyzed lacquer finish.
You’ll definitely pay a few more dollars for good-quality American furniture, but you’ll get much more for your money. You’ll have furniture you can be proud of - and you can take pride in your decision to keep those dollars in the United States! At Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC we are proud to carry the finest American made furniture in the nation!
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