Most of us don’t realize all that is involved in the delivering furniture over long distances and having it arrive in perfect condition. I decided to call Rick, the general manager of one of the two home delivery companies we use at Casco Bay Furniture.
The other day it occurred to me that, although I had been in the furniture business for a long time, I could probably learn more about cushion construction…and it may be true for many of you. I decided to contact Lawrence Sweeny, owner of Larin Cushion Company of North Carolina.
Lawrence how long have you been in the cushion business?
I’ve been in the business for 40 years. I started in the cushion business at Hickory Spring Manufacturing Company, a company that is a leading supplier of foam, springs, and other furniture related components. After three years, I left the company and formed my own company, catering to a portion of the business I thought was not being served well in the industry… the high-end business and specialty manufacturers. We make a quality product and rarely do we have a cushion failure. I have made several million cushions over the years and we may have had only 4 or 5 returns a year.
I’ve been noticing lately when I wake up I’ve been feeling kind of tired, my back aches and I don’t seem to have the bounce in my step that I used to. The Wife says I often wake her up with my tossing and turning. It occurred to me that perhaps it was my mattress and decided to have a look. What I saw when I removed the sheets and mattress pad was a 20-year-old mattress that looked like the Grand Canyon. At Casco Bay Furniture, we don’t sell bedding, so the Wife and I set out to buy a new bed.
My name is Richard and I handle the delivery part of the business for Casco Bay Furniture. Four years ago, I had a full head of dark brown hair. Now I’m all gray…like all the presidents (Clinton, Bush, Obama).
As any online furniture retailer will tell you, the biggest problem in this business is shipping your product quickly and free of damage. Every online furniture retailer is part of the global supply chain. We all do the best we can, but at Casco Bay Furniture we don’t own the delivery companies and we can’t control the delivery time
We have all admired a beautiful piece of furniture, a sofa, a dining room table, but have you ever wondered how it goes from concept to reality? Surely it must be a complex process.
Think about it. Take a sofa, for example. Not only does it have to look good, it has to sit good for the vast amount of people—with all of their different sizes, heights and shapes—who are considering purchasing it,
A quality sofa is also expected to last along time, decades even. It has to take the abuse of kids, grandchildren, teenagers, cats, dogs and other assorted creatures. I decided to contact our staff designer, D Ross of Hickory, North Carolina to learn more about how this is accomplished.
