The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is inviting the home furnishings industry to share their special stories, memories, experiences, historical accounts, and reflections for its “Tell Us Your Story” project which will appear on the organization’s website.
“So often we’re approached by passionate members of our industry while at Market, and in passing, who have special, and oftentimes, undocumented tales, accounts and reflections that they want to share about their companies, their experiences, and the industry as a whole,” says Kurt Darrow, president of the Foundation. “Some of these accounts reflect how a company was founded or named, or even how it might have been saved from bankruptcy, and many are quite simply some of their fondest memories about the special relationships they’ve had with people in the industry over their career.”
Here’s one story the Foundation recently received from an employee with LADD Furniture:
“When Don Hunziker and Bill Fenn would travel the corridors of the office, it was known by the administrative staff as Management On Patrol, or MOP, for short. Trying to be on our best behavior when the bosses came calling ‘it’s time to mop’ was the secret code which rippled like a wave through the staff just moments ahead of Bill and Don’s entrance. With Cheshire cat grins barely contained the staff would be working with extra zeal as our leaders strolled past. We were so smug in our secret. One day, however, Bill and Don showed up with mops thrown over their shoulders and big grins on their faces. Periodically, one would say to the other “it’s time to mop” as they walked by. Well, we, the formerly smug ones, were mortified. It was clear that both men had known all along about our little secret and were getting the last laugh. Once our faces stopped burning from embarrassment the entire department gave them a standing ovation!”
The Foundation is looking for touching, factual, humorous, interesting or even quirky stories about the industry that should not go untold or undocumented. Submissions don’t have to be formal – even the briefest accounts are encouraged.
Stories can be submitted through the website at www.furniturehalloffame.com or by sending them to lestep@furniturehalloffame.com. These stories will be made available on the website and eventually published in a book. Information gleaned from the stories will be given full credit whenever the information is used for Foundation purposes.
The Foundation is also collecting company history books and historic photos to build its collection and further preserve the industry’s history. These materials can be sent to the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. at 202 Neal Place, High Point, N.C., 27262.
The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is an international, industry-wide organization founded to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry, as well as to research, collect and preserve our cultural, economic and artistic history. Membership includes eligibility to vote for inductees into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina at 202 Neal Place, and can be reached at 336.882.5900.