Fun Furniture Fact #23: Furniture City

Have you ever wondered where your furniture comes from? It can have a huge effect on the price and quality of your piece. One of the places to look out for is Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Michigan has a rich history of furniture manufacturing. Grand Rapids alone is home to over 60 furniture manufacturing companies including American Seating, Grand Rapids Chair Company, Haworth, Herman Miller, Leland International, Steelcase, and Vanerum Stelter, to name a few. It is often referred to as “Furniture City”.

If your furniture is marked with a “made in Grand Rapids” sticker then it is sure to be a quality crafted piece of furniture. It took a few lawsuits and a lot of money for the Grand Rapids Furniture Association to claim the name as a trademark, but it prevented other inferior furniture companies from putting the name Grand Rapids on their products and selling it for a higher price. Obtaining the trademark has helped Grand Rapids furniture establish its high-quality reputation that it maintains today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in 1876, when Berkey & Gay Co. sold its furniture to the Eastern merchants in New York, Grand Rapids officially became a nationwide furniture provider. Since then, Grand Rapids has become the “Furniture Capital of the World”, selling their one-of-a kind, high-quality furniture all over the country.

So when you are mulling over your next furniture purchase, take a minute to see where it came from. You might be surprised at what you discover.