Former Wayfair.com Executive Launches New Furniture Startup

Furniture World News Desk on 9/15/2014

Joe Noonan, CEO Homespun Design

Homespun Design, a new online retailer founded by Joe Noonan reported that it is breaking the e-commerce mold by selling only American-made furniture  -- true heirloom-quality pieces.

Homespun says it  has curated exquisite All-American furniture handcrafted from solid woods – cherry, oak, maple and walnut.  Created in Vermont, New Hampshire, California, Maine, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia, Homespun’s furniture will reflect styles ranging from classic Shaker, traditional, and farmhouse styles to mid-century, modern and contemporary pieces.

“There’s nothing but potential when it comes to the online furniture space. It continues to grow, but didn’t have a site dedicated to the types of elegant items we offer – until now,” said Joe Noonan, Founder/CEO of Homespun Design. “That’s a void we’re happy to fill, as one of our missions is to introduce online shoppers to well-crafted furniture that won’t be found at garage sales in five years or littering landfills a decade from now.”

Noonan’s knowledge of the online furniture space is extensive, as he spent several years as an executive at the largest online-only retailer of home goods in the U.S., Wayfair.com, which recently filed for a $350 million initial public offering.

Noonan credits his time at Wayfair for fostering his passion for the furniture business. But instead of trying to offer millions of items across many different price points, Noonan is focusing his energies at Homespun Design only on U.S.-sourced items that reflect the highest quality, construction and durability.

His new company is a virtual boutique with carefully curated items that will appeal to true furniture aficionados and others who want to invest in furniture that gives their rooms a sense of permanence and elegance. Customers can find just the right item, tailor it to fit their specific needs, and have it delivered with white glove service, so that it’s truly a first-class, hassle-free experience.

Homespun is starting with the larger pieces – beds, armoires, desks, tables, cabinets and more -- as those items usually form the foundation of decorating schemes. In the coming months, Homespun plans to add smaller accessories and accents, as well.

One of Homespun’s makers, Santiago Mazon, head of operations for ARTLESS Corporation, described the new site this way: “Homespun offers us, the small, independent and original companies, a platform for exposure and dissemination of our work and our values. In this digital age, Homespun also attempts to recreate the small town, Main Street effect of direct and personal exchange between the customer, the commercial storefront, and the maker of the goods. Its categorical emphasis on geography and aesthetics goes beyond stylistic norms and transcends into ideological values. Values that can be summed up as ‘we care.’"

With offerings ranging from $99 to $7,500, Homespun has sourced eleven U.S.-based furniture manufacturers and craftsmen to provide heirloom-quality furniture to fit many tastes, with several more launching in the coming months. For some of these makers, HomespunDesign.com’s launch marks their online debut, as other sites didn’t complement or enhance their brands to the degree that Homespun does.

"Homespun is offering a forum which reflects the goals and aesthetic of our company, by reducing clutter (of other sales sites) and highlighting elegance through simplicity,” explained Martin Goebel, owner and operations manager of Goebel & Co. Furniture.

Cherry Pond Fine Furniture President Peter Guest, who descends from six generations of furniture makers, added: “We are excited to join your distinguished ensemble of American fine furniture makers. The quality of your website is exceptional, mirroring the passion, pride of craft, and down home American know-how of its members.”

Currently, HomespunDesign.com offers a choice of more than 200 unique, distinguished and often exclusive items for dining rooms, bedrooms and living rooms.

“Nowhere else on the web can one find as comprehensive a blend of traditional and modern 100% American-made furniture,” added Goebel.

For more information on Homespun Design or to see all of the items that will soon find their way into the homes of some of the most discerning furniture lovers, go to www.HomespunDesign.com.