The Washington herald., 1921-03-02
MUST FIND OUTLET
FOR U. ST. FURNITURE.

MUST FIND OUTLET
FOR U. 81 FURNITURE.
The United States now manufac-
lures furniture far In excess Of do
mestic requirements and an outlet
must be found for the surplus which
has grown since the period Of post
war activity. said Albert e. Tate.
Of the Tate Furniture Company Of
High Point. N. c., whom seen at the
New Willard yesterday in atten-
dance at the twelfth annual conven-
tion Of the Southern Commercial
Congress.
During the war and especially
following the armistice in 1919 and
1920, the domestic demand of the
furniture manufacture was very
heavy. new factories were built and
the industry reached an unprece-
dented development" Tate ex-
planned.
with the return Of normal condi-
tions. the inevitable corollary to
reconstruction, we must find for
eign markets for these products II
we are to keep these new factories
running and the large forces Of
men employed"
Tate is one OF the leading furni-
ture manufacturers of High Point,
the North Carolina town which Is
now second only to Grand Rapids.
Mich. as a furniture manufacturing
center
The annual output of Hight Point
factories approximates s5.o00,0o0
Tate says. Every type Of furniture
is made in this thriving town from
the most elaborate Louis XIV suite
to a plain kitchen table. The town
also boasts a silk mill which manu-
features a variety Of textiles.
GROWING DEMAND
FOR HIGH GRADE GOODS.
The American public has been ed
ucated to appreciate fine furniture.
according to Tate. who says that
there is a growing demand for
quality among furniture buyers in
this country.
was a period of furniture buying
/. that surpassed anything / have seen
in my thirty years in the furniture
business" said Tate.
Everybody was buying furniture
best with little regard for cost. AL
though the demand for quality still
persists, the consumer is more eau
tious today and wants the less ex-
pensive furniture"
Furniture styles have changed
greatly the last generation. Tate
says. First there was the craze for
the ornate. whether beautiful or
not. This was true when mill
work first became possible and most
of the furniture turned out was,
slaborately turned and machine
carved-in short. furniture of the
"dust-catching'' variety, which is
non grata with the modern house,
wife
Then came the reversion to the
colonial. Today. however. Tate says
that there is little demand for the
heavy and severe lines of the
American Colonial Americans pre-
fer the light, delicate pieces which
are being reproduced, mostly IN
mahogany. from the elegant lines
OF Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Adam
and Sheffield, tho English design
ers who charmed the court of
Queen Anne and of the Georges
with their simple adaptations of
the classical.
In the very expensive grades
Tate says that Italian Renaissance
lis a very popular period.
MEXICO OFFERS BEST
EXPORT POSSIBILITIES.
North Carolina furniture manu-
facturers are shipping some furni-
ture to South and Central America,
but the export furniture trade.
along with foreign trade in other
American manufactures. is still in
its infancy, Tate says. Tate and
several other High Point manufac-
turers are now opening a furniture
store in Mexico City where a large
display will be offered for sale
President Obregon has made It ap-
parent to American business men
that he welcomes Investments by
Americans and one of his relatives
Is interested in this furniture mar.
keting project.
Il believe that Mexico will go
ahead under the rule of Obregon,"
said Tate, "and recover from the
disturbances of the last few years"
Latin Americans differ from
Americans in their taste in furni-
ture." Tate said.
The styles that are popular In
the United States would meet with
little demand in Latin America" he
declared. Spanish historical Pc
riods are most popular among the
South Americans, adaptations of
Spanish and Moorish styles are in
demand. There is demand for
heavily gilded four-posted beds
with elaborately carved canopies
and other fiorid European styles"
The furniture trade with England
Is growing steadily. Tate says,
with office furniture and equipment
chiefly in demand.