L.& J.G. Stickley history

In 1901, perhaps because his firm did not receive the name recognition he craved, he dropped his relationship with Toby and changed the name of his firm to the United Crafts.

The “Bewdley” line, designed by D. Robertson Smith in 1902, drew influence from the English and Scottish Arts and Crafts Movements.

In November 1903, Stickley announced the “Home Builders Club” in his magazine.

After 1904 these influences were merged into the “Quaint Arts and Crafts” line, which was produced for nearly a decade.

1905: Both Craftsman Shops and L. and J.G. Stickley introduce Mission Oak at a trade show in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In what was probably a sound business decision in order to become a national “player,” Stickley moved his magazine, architectural department, marketing and sales operations to New York City in 1906.

By 1907, the American Arts and Crafts movement had taken on a life of its own across the United States, becoming a popular statement against certain aspects of industrialization and a work ethic based on handicraft.

In 1908, the Stickley family moved to a 650-acre farm in Parsippany, New Jersey, where Stickley envisioned opening a school for training craftsman.

His wife Eda and their six children, Barbara, Mildred, Hazel, Marion, Gustav Jr. and Ruth would join him there in the spring of 1910.

To quote from Stickley’s magazine, The Craftsman (November 1911): “There are elements of intrinsic beauty in the simplification of a house built on the log cabin idea.

The “Quaint Manor” line, introduced in 1914, featured slender Austrian Modern lines, cutouts, and caned panels.

Gustav Stickley was unable to adjust to the times, and went bankrupt in 1915.

By the time The Craftsman ended publication in 1916, there were more than 222 different home plans available to Stickley’s subscribers, and his “Architectural Department” would modify an existing design or create new homes on commission.

When Gustav declared bankruptcy in 1918, his younger brothers absorbed his debts and obligations, bought out his remaining inventory, and for a short time continued to produce some of his designs under a conjoined label.

John George died in 1921.

1922: Leopold Stickley announces the introduction of the Cherry Valley Collection.

The “Adam Colonial” line, introduced in 1925, was a somewhat informal adaptation of 18th century English and American forms, painted in shades of ivory, “peacock,” and “colonial” blue.

1942: Gustav Stickley dies.

1958: Leopold Stickley dies; Louise Stickley takes over management of the company.

Audi had graduated from Colgate University and served three years in the National Guard before becoming president of E.J. Audi, his family's long-established furniture distributorship in Manhattan, in 1968.

In 1973, Stickley called Alfred Audi, son of E.J. Audi, Stickley's largest dealer and a close friend of Leopold, and told him that she was thinking of closing shop.

Privately owned by the Audi family since 1974, the company now operates a facility greater than 400,000 square feet in Manlius, New York, an upholstery plant in North Carolina, and six retail showrooms in New York and Connecticut.

By 1975, the Audis first full year at the helm of L. & J.G. Stickley, the company's sales had more than tripled, but the business was still so undercapitalized that the Audis had to dip into sales and withholding taxes to meet payroll expenses.

In 1984, the Audis began construction on a new plant in Manlius, New York, two miles from the original Stickley factory, and introduced their 18th Century Mahogany line.

The company moved to Manlius in 1985.

In 1989, the Mission Oak line grew to 15 percent of the company's sales of $25 million, helping Stickley boost overall sales 16 percent.

Banks refused to give the revived company loans despite the surge in demand for their product because the Audis were "too new to the business," according to a 1990 Forbes article.

The company was now comfortably profitable and expanding, and in 1992, the Audis introduced coordinating mission-style lamps and accessories, following Gustav Stickley's original designs.

In 1995, Stickley added its Metropolitan line, a contemporary take on Mission Oak in solid cherry and acquired the Heirloom upholstery factory in High Point, North Carolina.

Aminy Audi herself credited the golden rule in a 1999 Leaders magazine interview: "Treat people as you would have them treat you.

In spring 2000, the company introduced museum-quality reproductions of early Colonial designs under the label "Williamsburg Reserve Collection."

In 2002, the company added a 78,000-square-foot showroom in Fayetteville, New York, which replaced the 38,000-square foot-showroom at the Manlius plant.

Alfred Audi passed away in the fall of 2007, but the Stickley legacy is continued by his wife Aminy and son Edward.