Forest Manufacturing Co history

Slyter also expanded its sales range to the Midwest, producing 25,000 upholstered chairs with 60 employees in 1951.

In 1952 Junior Line added to its holdings a sawmill located in the Cascade foothills, to provide a committed supply of wood.

Harmon's wood-products production relocated from its Pacific Avenue site to the former Gregory plant, allowing expansion of the mattress-manufacturing division at 1953 South C Street.

Using readily available plywood, laminate, and plastic finishes, Sutherlan produced fixtures for stores throughout the West, employing more than 140 workers by 1954.

By 1956 Northwest Chair products were available in more than 1,500 retail outlets.

By 1957 the company outgrew its factory at 725 East 25th Street and built a new manufacturing facility near the Port of Tacoma.

Junior Line Furniture crib, June 15, 1960

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, established in 1964, launched a comprehensive program for planning and developing outdoor recreation facilities.

The city's expanding role as a major import hub and the advent of containerized shipping at the Port of Tacoma in 1970 were part of America's larger shift toward outsourcing manufacturing overseas.

In 1975 Forest Products expanded to a second location in central Missouri.

Magnuson Furniture of Kent in south King County bought Slyter Chair, Inc., which continued until 1993 when it closed due to inability to compete with imports.

By 1997 its five employees produced only 3,000 units per year and reupholstering heirloom furniture accounted for 30 percent of business.

To give a boost to these small concerns and other artisans, Spaceworks, an organization launched in 2010, began helping craftspeople occupy underutilized spaces in Tacoma.