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.

Visit BowenFurniture.com!
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What A Complement! – Charleston Forge: Flying the flag!

From Art Barber – Founder and CEO of Chareston Forge

To emphasize our determination to manufacture and preserve jobs in America, we are displaying the American flag that flew on the warship that my father-in-law served on during World War II in our High Point showroom.

It reminds us of the sacrifices made by so many Americans who give their lives to protect the privileges we enjoy today. It symbolizes how lucky we are to have the freedom to live, work and play in such a great country. It calls out to all who pass by that our furniture is MADE in AMERICA.

We’re passionate about what we make and where we make it and it hurts to see so many jobs lost from this country.  It’s not easy being in business here, but then again, business is not easy anywhere!

To compete with the world in our industry, we know that we have to be innovative, fashion focused, passionate, efficient and constantly evolving.  We’re actually seeing an increase in orders and have expansion plans, so it’s obvious to us that our market likes what we are doing.

We will be showing table tops that an artist makes for us by melting glass and pouring it into molds. We’ve expanded our Warehouse Collection which features our signature metal frames and tops made with wood reclaimed from shipping pallets. We’ve added floor to ceiling mirrors (with acid etched mirror) and small upholstered stools to this collection. We made some display trolleys with metal frames and used old pine boards that we got from a Dutch cheese factory as the tops. (Come early, there are only a few available). New transitional and contemporary glass top coffee tables and drink tables by designer John Kolkka are spectacular. We even commissioned a local artist friend of ours to make us a line of jewelry that combines the same elements and techniques that we use in furniture making. Charleston Forge and jewelry, it’s a natural!

It’s all simple yet sophisticated, casual but elegant, imperfect but perfect. If that flag could talk, we think it would say, “Well Done!”

If you’re coming to High Point, please come see us, and the flag!  We’ll look forward to seeing you!

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

Visit BowenFurniture.com!
Subscribe to our Email Newsletter!

Stay Connected!

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