Vietnamese Furniture
Did I get your attention? As of a December of 2007 study I am reading, Vietnam is the third largest exporter of wood household furniture to the United States. Fifty five percent of wood household furniture sold in this country is now imported. Sucks for me, my business, and my employees. I’m spending alot of time these days trying to figure out how to sell the furniture we make. Times are tough.
According to this study, consumers are spending less on furniture. They are looking for stuff that looks good, but don’t really care if it is going to last long enough to pass on to their children. They are spending less on furniture and more on electronic gadgets, home entertainment, travel, and leisure products.
So the larger manufacturers are closing their operations here and choosing to have their furniture made in low-cost countries like Viet Nam. Not really an option for us. We need to find those folks that do care that their furniture is not only going to last more than a few years, but hopefully for a generation or two. I’ve also been thinking lately how my operation fits into the “green” movement. Well, one thing is the durability issue. A piece of furniture that doesn’t have to be replaced every few years is definitely more green that that imported stuff that will need to be replaced every few years. We are using materials that primarily come from our region. We also utilize a fair number of veneers in our work that means some of the best logs go alot further than they would otherwise.
So what I am really struggling with at the moment is how to connect with those of you that do realize that good quality, well designed furniture is a good investment. That it is worth it to spend a little more on work that isn’t going to need to be replaced in a few years. That it is responsible to purchase work that in it’s production has less of an impact on our planet, and that in doing so you are supporting the livelihoods of workers right here rather than contributing to the exploitation of workers in third world countries. I know you’re out there.
Sorry Jim but I am very busy NOT THINKING. We are in Paris for the last five weeks, staying on a barge. I have seen some( but not alot of) beautiful furniture, some made here in France but the really magnificent stuff made in Spain- of sycamore, walnut (which in Spain is a trash tree), cedar. The Spanish furniture has a website http://www.tresserra.com . It’s mostly veneer since they work in rounded shapes. Take a look.