Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1929-10-24
NOVELTY PLANT
DOUBLES SPACE
Local Manufacturing Concern Starts
Huge Building Program to Take
Care of Increased Business. Have
Been Operating Part of Plant "a
Hours Per Day.

r1ours fer Lay.
Mr.. Ben H. Moody, local contrac-
tor, with large force of hands, be-
gan work week ago on an addition
to the Woodcraft Novelty Conpany's
factory, which is expected to be
ready for occupancy by the first Of
the year, and which will add about
5000 feet 70 the present floor space.
This addition practically doubles the
size of the plant, and is made nece3-
business being accorded the only
novelty factory in the world, manu-
featuring rustic wood souvenirs or a
production basis.
The Woodcraft Novelty Company
is a home-owned institution and be-
gan operations on very small scale
in 1924. The novelties manufactured
from rhododendron and other native
woods, met with such ready sale, that
again and again the facilities have
been increased to meet the ever
growing demand, until now an aver
age of 35 persons are being en-
ployed regularly producing about 80
different kinds of novelties. Practi-
cally all the machinery, according to
Mr.. David F. Greene, the superin-
tendent, is automatic and the greater
part of it built especially for the pc
culiar demands of this class of man
ufacture. The primary reason for
the present addition to the plant, ac-
cording to Mr.. Greene, is to pro-
vide the necessary room to utilize
present machinery on a capacity
scale, however, he expects to add new
production units as rapidly as re-
quired.
Mr.. Greene reports excellent busi-
ness and says returns have increased
satisfactorily each year. Woodcraft
novelties are now being sold regu-
larly in every State in the Union,
Canada, Cuba and Mexico, and a
tentative expansion program will in
clude the manufacture of toys of diff
ferent kinds. A step in this direction
was made in the introduction of the
Daniel Boone cabin blocks some time
ago. This set consists of variety of
mortised logs and blocks which may
readily be fashioned into cabins,
bridges, forts, etc, and is really more
ingenious than the structural steel
toys so popular a few years ago.
These have sold far beyond original
expectations and for the past four
months, the machines used in their
manufacture have run continuously
"a hours per day, turning out more
than 100000 finished pieces per
week. The busiest season of the year
for the factory, however, comes along
about February when it is necessary
to operate the entire plant night and
day to take care of orders placed for
the summer tourist trade.
1t is interesting to note that it is
necessary for the Woodcraft people
to spend outside Watauga County
only Is cents on the dollar of man.
ufactured goods, for any material.
All the timber, rhododendron prin-
cipally, is purchased locally, local
peopie are eNiplOSSu, dHu dDOuL
$4,000 per year is distributed as
wages and salaries. In turn, the in
come derived from their operations
comes practically exclusively, not
only from without the county, but
from without the State. No outside
capital has ever been invested in
the plant, and Boone and Watauga
County are receiving untold benefits
from its operation.
Prior to the establishment of the
Woodcraft Novelty Company, limited
quantities of rustic souvenirs had
been produced in different parts of
the country. However, because of the
fact that the quantity available was
limited, the big mercantile chains of
the country could not attempt to
stock their manifold establishments.
With the immense local production,
orders are now filled, regardless of
the size, and the product is infinitely
superior to foreign offerings.