Lexington Home Brands

Lexington Home Brands formerly named Dixie Furniture Co. is a Thomasville, NC-based manufacturer of upscale home furnishings. The company is one of America's largest furniture manufacturing companies with six primary/popular bands - Lexington, Tommy Bahama Home, Tommy Bahama Outdoor Living, Sligh, Artistica Home, and Barclay Butera.
Lexington Home Brands has been operational since 1901 and is currently headquartered in High Point with 5 manufacturing and distribution facilities spread across North Carolina with over 1.5 million square feet. The company in the past century has grown to become a global leader in the industry offering a bespoke range of product lines of wood, upholstery, and outdoor living designs.
==History==
Lexington Home Brands was founded in 1901 by a group of entrepreneurs based in Lexington. The company was initially incorporated as Dixie Furniture Co. and primarily sold Oak bedroom furniture.
In the next two years, Lexington, then known as Dixie, forged a business relationship with another furniture manufacturing facility in the area called Elk, which was also created by some of the same people who founded Dixie. Eventually both the companies joined hands and bought Piedmont Mirror Company and expanded their operations.
The first Dixie facility was remodeled in 1904 and in the same year, the company also increased its manufacturing capacities. 
In 1923, the manufacturing facility of Elk was destroyed in a fire which was then rebuilt. Soon after that, Elk and Dixie entered into a merger, becoming the Elk Dixie Furniture Company. In 1936, after a decade of this successful merger, the Elk plant was purchased by the United Furniture Corporation, and Dixie started its separate management and operations. During this time Henry T. Link became the COO of the company and created a new and improved Dixie Furniture Company.
Furniture Company, and two years later A. Frank Taylor joined the company as general superintendent. Under Henry’s leadership, Dixie’s sales improved threefold, and in 1940, he introduced motorized conveyors to be used in the plants - making it to become one of the first companies to do mass production of its product. This expansion then saw the rise of the company’s first hit product - a five-piece mahogany bedroom suite which was being manufactured as late as 1986.
Link-Taylor Corporation, now called Plant 12, was formed in late 1949 and put into operation in the early ‘50s. Solid bedroom furniture is their primary product line. This Lexington plant is known for incorporating the latest in plant layout, machinery, and equipment, and producing furniture of the highest quality. 
In 1962 the Young-Hinkle Corporation was launched, initially known for producing a boy’s line of furniture. Now known as Plant 4, it is known for (chair and bedroom manufacturing). Two years later, Henry Link Corporation I, now called Plant 7 was introduced which is known for producing girl’s bedroom furniture.
In 1965, Lexington acquired the Gordon Veneer Company, now called Plant 6. This plant manufactures single-ply veneers which are used by the corporation’s member companies. Dixie-Linwood facility, now Plant 2 was built in 1972 for the manufacture of dining room furniture. Two years later, Henry Link Corporation II, now Plant 8, was introduced and started producing wicker furniture. This plant is recognized as the largest manufacturer of wicker furniture in this country.
The operations of Henry Link Corporation III, now Plant 9 began in 1984. This facility produces Wicker upholstered furniture. A year later Dixie Dining Room Division also started its operations. This facility assembles and applies the finish coatings to our imported dining room groups.
Masco Corporation purchased Dixie Furniture, Link-Taylor Corp., Young-Hinkle Corp., and Henry Link Corp., in 1987. Lexington Furniture Industries has formed shortly after, and all four departments were merged.
Lexington Furniture Industries was acquired by LifeStyle Furnishings International in August 1996, which was formed by Masco Corporation through a series of acquisitions of individual brand name companies, with LifeStyle becoming an independent company as a result of Masco Corporation exiting the home furnishings business.
In 2000, the company introduced its design mark with swirl and in the same year, The Tommy Bahama Home licensed brand of home furnishings was introduced.
In 2002, Lexington Home Brands was acquired by Sun Capital Partners, a private equity firm. In the coming five years Lexington Home Brands expanded its portfolio to include Arnold Palmer, Nautica, Liz Claiborne, Waverly, Woolrich, Southern Living, and Donald Trump.
In 2006 Phil Haney was appointed as the President and CEO who then initiated the company’s focus to shift to the most relevant consumer brands – Lexington and Tommy Bahama Home. Two years later the company opened its first company-owned to-the-trade showroom at the Denver Design Center.
In 2011 LHB acquired Sligh Furniture Company, an industry leader and the premier brand in the home office and home entertainment categories. In the same year, the company also opened its second company-owned to-the-trade showroom at the New York Design Center in Manhattan.
In 2012 the Tommy Bahama license was expanded to include the outdoor category, trading as Tommy Bahama Outdoor Living. In the same year, the first Tommy Bahama Home store at Fashion Island Center in Newport Beach, CA was inaugurated.
In 2016 LHB acquired Artistica Home, a 40-year-old Los Angeles-based manufacturer of unique dining, accent, and occasional furniture. A year later, the company signed a brand license with Barclay Butera and introduced two lifestyle collations. This addition increased the Lexington Home Brands portfolio to (6) – Lexington, Tommy Bahama Home, Tommy Bahama Outdoor Living, Sligh, Artistica Home, and Barclay Butera.
 
In 2017 LHB was acquired by Luolai Lifestyle Technology Corporation. Two years later, LHB opened its second company-owned Tommy Bahama Home store in Austin, Texas. In 2021 LHB opened its third company-owned Tommy Bahama Home store in The Woodlands, Texas.
In November 2022, LHB opened a 4th store in Palm Desert, California. Lexington Home Brands attorney Lucy Jewett Wheatley won two federal jury lawsuits for trademark infringement in 2022, and Lexington received nearly $2.5 million in New York.
==Brands==
* Lexington
* Tommy Bahama Home
* Tommy Bahama Outdoor Living
* Artistica Home
* Sligh Office and Media Designs
* Barclay Butera
==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
* Official Website
* Lexington Home Brands ecommerce site
* Tommy Bahama Home ecommerce site
* Tommy Bahama Outdoor site 
* Artistica Home site
* Sligh site
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Category:Companies established in 1901
Category:Companies based in North Carolina
Category:Furniture manufacturers
Category:Furniture companies
Category:Furniture companies of the United States
Category:1901 establishments in the United States
Category:Manufacturing companies of the United States