Our founder, Chuck Johnson was born into a furniture family. His father J. “Hib” Johnson, founded Hickory Furniture Company in Hickory, North Carolina, where Chuck worked summers and holidays throughout his young adulthood. He built his sales territory into one of the top five in the country during his seventeen years there.
Chuck needed a new creative outlet. The very next week he saw a group of furniture that absolutely fascinated him; he bought two pieces and took them home to his basement hobby workshop. He set about teaching himself the techniques for building, distressing and finishing that were used to achieve the wonderful, casual look of these pieces.
Chuck built six samples and loaded them into his van to take on the next sales trip. He showed them to three dealers and all of them bought samples. Chuck and his wife Regina, found an old, closed-down textile plant in Canton, Georgia, and brought in couple of local artists to work with him. He moved his Craftsman tools up to Canton, and bought a load of wood, and the Furniture Guild was born.
A turning point came at a furniture show in High Point. Chuck had converted three designs of consoles to accommodate sinks and faucets and everyone loved the concept. A plumbing representative group saw his vanities and wanted to represent Chuck and his bath line, launching him into an entirely new industry.
Chuck’s son Hib joined the company in 2000 after graduating from the University of Georgia. He ushered in new techniques for manufacturing that emphasized a more productive and efficient system that increased quality, reduced lead times, and increased overall production.
In 2007, styles were changing. Traditional was being traded in for more transitional designs and contemporary style was starting to generate waves in the industry. Together, Chuck and Hib developed a new transitional series which had cleaner lines and utilized new CNC technology.
As contemporary designs gained favor, Hib designed a collection of products to fill this need. With the addition of the new contemporary designs, product sales took off. These products were installed in showrooms nationwide and were a huge success.
The success of our contemporary product led to moving a portion of the plant into a different location inside the mill complex. We also created a new space for metal fabrication which has given us more design capability, allowing us to create more cutting-edge designs that separate us from other domestic fabricators and the high production manufactures overseas. After 4+ years of a divided factory, we moved the Furniture Guild into a new building. A 40,000 sq ft production facility that had the space for everyone.
The Furniture Guild is still the leading manufacturer in the high-end Decorative Plumbing marketplace that has the capability to provide made-to-order, high-end bath furniture with custom capabilities. Everything is still made to order and signed and dated by a craftsman. We continue to use only the finest building techniques from the past combined with the latest in technology to ensure you receive the best quality product every time.
