Harden Furniture Is Building a Tradition in Rural New York

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Dec 24, 1999 by Allen, Paul

McCONNELLSVILLE - In 1844, Charles Harden and his son Frank founded C. Harden & Son, a small furnituremanufacturing operation on the banks of Fish Creek in rural McConnellsville. Charles was a contractor during the building of the Erie Canal and operated a sawmill on the other side of the creek. He and his son saw a need in the community for quality furniture and during the slow winter months began manufacturing kitchen chairs.

One hundred fifty-six years and countless kitchen chairs later, the unassuming company that began on the banks of Fish Creek with a father and his son is one of the biggest employers in Oneida County.

Gregory Harden, CEO of Harden Furniture, jokes about his company's longevity. "We're the oldest furniture manufacturer in the country. I don't know if that's because we've done a particularly good job in the furniture business or we're just not smart enough to do something else!"

Harden says the secret to Harden Furniture's success is a commitment to quality. "We've stressed quality not just in our product but with our relationship with our customers, our employees, and our vendors. We've been very committed to making a quality product and standing behind that product. It takes a lot more than luck to stay in business for 156 years."

About his company's growth in the last decade, Harden explains, "Over the last 10 years, we have worked very hard to make the Harden brand more recognizable. We've introduced new products, we've expanded our advertising efforts, and we've chosen not to grow through acquisition or by merger but rather to continue plugging away and promoting our brand and increasing our distribution."

The majority of Harden Furniture's business, says Harden, comes from the sale of residential furniture, although the company also manufactures commercial-use furniture.

According to Gregory Harden, about 15 percent of the company's product is imported from China and the Philippines. This includes occasional items made of iron and glass, rattan, and wicker. The price range for Harden-manufactured furniture runs the gamut from iron and leather dining chairs and barstools that sell for a few hundred dollars to a solid cherry armoire from the newly introduced Forbes collection retailing for close to $7,000. The most popular items in the last few years, says Harden, have been cherry bedroom and dining-room furniture.

When asked about the greatest struggles facing the furniture-manufacturing company, Harden says, "There are two big problems that we're dealing with at the moment. The first is a shortage of qualified labor. By qualified labor, I mean people who are willing to show up every day and who have an attitude which will allow them to be part of a team. I never thought I'd say that we have a labor shortage in upstate New York, but we do. The second problem we're facing is the price of cherry lumber, which is up dramatically this year I think the drastic price increase is because of the incredible demand. Not only is the furniture business going full speed, so are the kitchencabinet people, the architectural-millwork people, and anybody else who is involved in home furnishing or home building."

Harden remains cautiously optimistic about his company's success in the next millennium. "Our demand fluctuates with the economy. Furniture is the ultimate postponable purchase and when the economy starts to nose down a little bit, furniture sales really suffer. Right now, all the planets seem to be aligned for furniture and the industry is going great guns.

"I think we're going to have more good business in the future. This will be our fourth record year in a row for sales. We've all been amazed by the economy, that year after year we continue to see growth, the stock market goes up, consumer confidence goes up, disposable income goes up - it really is remarkable. I think as long as we don't have any shocks in the national economy, we'll see continued good business and growth."