Furniture Land, Inc. history

Finally, the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway at Commencement Bay in 1873 made New Tacoma (as the railroad called the town it built a short distance south of the existing small settlement of Tacoma) a hub of shipping activity for raw materials and manufactured goods.

By 1876 Bresemann relocated to Spanaway Lake, building a new water-powered sawmill and continuing his furniture-making business.

Harmon arrived in Tacoma from Wisconsin in 1882 with experience in furniture sales.

Harmon bought Parker out after a fire destroyed their store in 1884.

1; "Waterfront Improvements," Tacoma Commerce, November 13, 1886, H. K. Rockhill, "Carman Co.

To keep up with demand F. S. Harmon and Company purchased the Tacoma Furniture Factory in 1889.

In 1903 Pacific Lounge and Mattress became Carman Manufacturing, Inc.

Also in 1909, construction of the Northern Pacific's new Union Station displaced Harmon's factory.

In 1913 another mill came up for sale on Tacoma's tide flats; Buffelen purchased it and established the Buffelen Lumber and Manufacturing Company, producing doors, moldings, and decorative veneers before also moving into furniture making.

In 1924 the long-established Buffelen Mill diversified into furniture manufacturing.

Kronlund became Restmore in 1928.

In 1941, Tacoma's furniture manufacturers had a combined $1 million payroll with more than 1,200 workers in 20 different plants.

By 1943 the Northwest Chair Company, the largest chair manufacturer in the West, made wooden bodies for military supply trucks used in Europe and the Pacific.

Expansion of F. S. Harmon and Company's wood-furnishing division took a major step in late 1945 when Harmon purchased the Gregory Furniture Manufacturing plant.

Far West Furniture Company began in 1946 as a co-op with seven employee co-owners building unfinished frames sold to other manufacturers.

Harmon bought the factory in 1948 to add a line of lower-priced products to its offerings.

By 1950 Harmon was the second-largest manufacturer in America and specialized in medium price-range bedroom suites and wood dining-room sets.

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.

However, by 1955 sales were in steep decline due to changing tastes.

Hand-weaving seats at Northwest Chair, Tacoma News Tribune, September 1, 1958

So, in October of 1963, with the help of many people, family members, friends, and the fine folks at Pulaski State Bank, Furnitureland, Inc. was born! Over the next several years, Furnitureland enjoyed steady growth and stayed above the national index when compared to other stores.

By 1969 it was purchased by Los Angeles based Nathan Goldman Company and folded into that larger firm.

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 1972, Darrell took out a small loan to give Furnitureland South its first storefront.

After building the 17,000 square-foot showroom in 1977, Furnitureland South found more space to showcase its furnishings in Jamestown, North Carolina — only miles from its first store in downtown High Point.

In 1988, the Harris’ purchased the property along Business 85 and began building.

In 2015 Rick Semple and Jori Adkins loaned Spaceworks the former Durobilt factory at 323 Puyallup Avenue that they had renovated to house custom furniture makers.

In April 2016, High Point University announced that one of its education centers would be named in honor of the Harris family.

In fact, the company said that 2017 was the best year in its almost 50-year history, with revenue of $170 million.