An Inside Look at American-Made Furniture

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear someone say “Is there ANY furniture still being made in America?”  There was a time –not too long ago – when I would have probably answered “Yes, but probably not for long.”

I’d have been wrong (a not-infrequent occurrence, according to my wife) if I had said that.  There IS furniture being made in America… and the amount being built here is going UP instead of down.  Let’s take a look at why the trend has reversed…

• Labor costs in China have risen drastically over the last few years.  The average Chinese worker is no longer willing to work for pennies a day, and he or she prefers to work in a nice clean electronics plant with air conditioning and heat.  Higher wages, better working conditions, a drastically reduced chance of losing fingers – or worse – to a lathe or saw… who wouldn’t want to make that change?

• Transportation costs have skyrocketed with the price of fuel.  A few years ago it cost roughly $2,200 to send a 40-foot shipping container across the Pacific… I’m told that figure has risen to $5,000 or more today.

• Environmental issues have come into play as well.  The Chinese government has finally realized that they must take steps to clean up their air and water.  Remember when they had to close all the factories around Beijing months before the Olympics to clear the air?  Did you know that 7 of the 9 most polluted rivers in the world are in China?  The cleanup will cost billions – and those billions will come from increased prices on Chinese products.

While all this was going on, many American furniture companies – especially upholstery companies and smaller wood furniture companies – stuck to their knitting and did what they do best – produce a high-quality product that consumers can trust and use for years.  These companies hung on through thick and thin – tightening belts to survive – and they’re with us today.

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC. We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Free Leather Upgrade With Purchase Of Stressless

You can mix business with pleasure! Free leather upgrade with purchase of Stressless Office!

We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Free Tempur-Pedic Foundation

Buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress now through December 2nd and get a FREE foundation!

We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Thank You To Our Veterans!

Veteran’s Day is coming up! We’ve teamed up with Chick-fil-a on Hanes Mall Blvd to say THANK YOU to ALL our veterans!

Now through Veteran’s Day, come in for a free gift!

We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Charleston Forge – Quality American Craftsmanship From The Blue Ridge

By: Art Barber of Charleston Forge

Susan and I started our business careers fresh out of college by opening a small retail fireplace shop in 1974 here in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

This picturesque community sits atop the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River, so cool summer breezes and cold snowy winters have attracted new home builders without a slowdown for more than seventy-five years a perfect setting for a fireplace shop.

We sold high-quality products and learned very early that there are people who truly recognize and appreciate the finer things in life. We offered delivery and installation service that the discount cash and carry stores couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

We learned to custom build handmade wrought iron fire screens, wood baskets, log racks and pot racks out of the tools that our maker gave us iron, fire, wood and passion.

Very quickly we had a growing, thriving business on our hands.

Word of our unique offerings spread throughout this land of mountain people, people who take pride in their work and deserve to be called artisans. We surrounded ourselves with these people and they helped us create more products.

In 1982 we started making furniture using the same natural elements of iron and wood, but added accents of brass, copper and glass& and the word continued to spread.

Today, Susan and I and our daughter, Jamie, and son, Brandon, who have both grown up in and now into our business, take great pride in the fact that our products, designed by, made by, sold by and serviced by more than 200 wonderful North Carolina mountain people are shipped throughout the world

Our products are offered to you through a network of highly qualified furniture stores, interior designers and sales agents.

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC where we are proud to carry fine furniture from Charleston Forge.  We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Outdoor Furniture By Kingsley-Bate

These cool evenings we’re enjoying right now are wonderful! Let us help you enjoy them even more with outdoor furniture from Kingsley~Bate!

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC. We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Tomorrow’s Antiques: Made in America and Available Today

Remember going to Grandma’s house?  If yours was like mine, the place was furnished almost exclusively with really old furniture…some good, some bad.  Sprinkled in the mix were some pieces that had some special significance…the chest great-great-grandpa built before the Yankees got him at Gettysburg…that kind of thing.

A lot of those old antique furniture pieces look great…from a distance.  When you examine them closely, you’ll find that the years may not have been kind.  Looking terrific isn’t enough for furniture you actually plan to use.  The piece has got to be sturdy enough to stand up to the rigors of use by a busy family…and most antiques can’t meet that requirement.

If you want the look of a fine hand-crafted antique but need something you can use on a daily basis, there IS a solution.  Bucks County Furniture -a very small Pennsylvania company- makes what I refer to as “new” antiques.  Using techniques from years gone by such as hand-planing the lumber and assembling pieces with cut nails and pegs, Bucks County turns pine, cherry, and tiger maple into tomorrow’s heirlooms -today.

And make no mistake…other than a single chair that they have made in a small Canadian workshop, EVERY piece of Bucks County is proudly hand-made in America.  Take a look at Bucks County Furniture .  You’ll think you’re looking at museum pieces…but it’s furniture you can use every day – and a piece or two can work with ANY decor.

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC where we’re proud to carry Bucks County Furniture! We all love it and many of us own it – the best testimonial there is.

We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Groovy Stuff! Time and a touch of Mother Nature

For those looking for the secret to the exquisite beauty of our re-claimed teakwood furniture, the answer is simple. All it takes is the time and touch of Mother Nature. Antique Farm implements, yokes, plows, sugarcane grinders, and wagons from a bygone era provide the framework for the interpretations you see in our furniture today.

For many years, this wood was not available to the public. Only recently has this vintage prized wood come to market. Soon demand will exceed supply, and the vintage collection you see in its purity today will be reduced to accents of varying degree. Each piece you see is designed for today’s lifestyle from yesterday’s antiquities.

The rich colors and tight grains of this ancient teakwood combine to form the unique character and patina of this collection. Suited for both indoor and outdoor use, Groovystuff furniture provides the atmosphere and character you need to create a rugged earthy look. If kept outdoors, your collectible will turn silver gray as only mature teakwood does. These hints of gray add identity to each piece, but can be easily re-nourished with a fresh coat of Briwax once a season or to your taste. Congratulations on your newest discovery.

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC. We are proud to carry Paula Deen! We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Choosing the Right Furniture For Your Bedroom

Have you ever realized that we spend about one third part of our lives in our bedrooms? It is the first place we see as soon as we wake up in the morning. In fact, we carry out all our day-to-day activities in our bedrooms, whether it be reading books, listening to music or simply relaxing on our cozy comfy beds.

Since we do most of the things in our bedroom, then why not make our bedroom a cozy and warm place by selecting the right bedroom furniture. Choosing furniture for your bedroom requires careful planning and many factors need to be considered like bedroom interiors, expenditure, personal taste etc.

Bedroom Furniture Buying Tips

• Never compromise on quality, even if you have to pay an extra price for it.
• Go in for a durable piece of furniture and not for the one that is just attractive, but not long lasting.
• Give due importance to fine craftsmanship, as it will also ensure the durability and save your repair expenses.
• While shopping for bedroom furniture, place a higher importance on comfort than anything else.
• Pay attention to what all you do in your bedroom. Are your activities in your bedroom just limited to sleeping or you do perform other activities like reading books while in bed? If that is the case, then you must buy such bedroom furniture that can accommodate a moderate size lamp that can provide you with adequate light to read during the nighttime.

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Bowen Presents: Creative Mirror & Art!

From: http://creativemirror-art.com

Creative Mirror & Art is eager to work with you and brings to the “Market Place” a support staff with more than 40 years of HANDS ON design, manufacturing, and sales experience.

As a long time manufacturer of Custom and made to order furniture, Creative has a proven track record to Acknowledge, Produce, and Ship orders on a dependable basis.
Generations of customers have placed their trust in our abilities to produce and ship high end furnishings, and Creative Mirror & Art is proud to be able to deliver the same quality of service for its line of decorative framed mirrors.

Creative Mirror & Art’s extensive catalogue includes a large selection of Design Choices, Sizes, and Styles which include:

* Traditional
* Transitional
* Contemporary

Creative Mirror & Art offers a wide range of Standard Finishes, Catalogued Sizes, and Catalogued Designs to meet many price points.

We can also manufacture to order any Mirror Frame that you may require in a Custom Size,
Custom Design, or Custom Finish.

The old world techniques that Creative Mirror & Art uses to achieve our hand applied finishes ensure that each finished frame is of Timeless and Distinctive Beauty. Because each Frame is Finished to Order you can Change or Customize as you wish. If you would like your Mirror Frame in a different finish from what is shown simply choose from any of Creative’s Standard Finish Selections, at no up-charge. Custom Finishing is also available at a moderate premium.

We at Creative Mirror & Art want to thank you in advance for your business and for placing Creative at the top of your Framed Mirror Vendor list.

For more info, visit: http://creativemirror-art.com!

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC. We are proud to carry Creative Mirror and Art! We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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