A View On: Davis Furniture

Recently we interviewed Ashley Davis Williams, a fourth generation Davis Furniture family member-owner, about the history of Davis Furniture. Ashley is a local High Point community member heavily involved in all things High Point. Join us while we dive in to learn more about Davis Furniture!

Q. Ashley, can you give us a quick summary of who Davis Furniture is?

A. Davis Furniture is always looking to the future of commercial environments, offering award-winning designs with the highest standards for innovation, functionality, and aesthetics.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. Why was Davis Furniture started and what was the vision?

A. John Turner Davis, Sr. started Davis Furniture in 1944 as a small upholstery repair business. He recognized what many enterprising High Pointers had already seen during sixty years of furniture manufacturing in the area—starting a family business was a way to establish future prosperity for him and his family.

In the early 1980’s we made a major transition to contemporary styles of commercial furniture and we continue today to design beautiful, long lasting products that have a European contemporary flair.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. What is one thing people would be interested to learn about Davis Furniture?

A. Davis is a family owned and operated company. Danny Davis, President, is third generation and Ashley Davis Williams and Brian Davis are fourth generation. We were founded in 1944 and are excited to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2019! There is true craftsmanship, quality, and value that goes into every Davis product.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. What are the highlights and challenges of owning/operating your business in High Point?

A. The community of High Point has been a wonderful place to grow a business for the last 74 years. There is no better place to start or own a furniture company than in High Point, NC. We have very dedicated employees who have grown with our company.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. Why did you choose to locate Davis Furniture in High Point?

A. John T. Davis, Sr. lived and worked in High Point, and wanted to create a business based in this area. Davis Furniture was founded in the early development of the furniture industry in High Point.

Davis began as a small upholstery company in 1944 and we were known as the Davis Upholstery Company. In the mid 1950’s, we moved to our current location and began focusing on furniture manufacturing. During this period of time, we found a new market with colleges and universities.

Q. How has High Point changed since Davis Furniture opened?

A. A lot has changed in High Point since 1944, however, just in the last few years, the growth the city has experienced has been great to see. We have unfortunately seen factories close around us but are excited to see these buildings filling up again with new, modern manufacturing!

Photography by ZoZo Photography

Q. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

A. Probably our biggest challenge as a manufacturer is that we still utilize age-old methods of manufacturing for so many of our products. We work to find skilled craftspeople with experience for the tasks we require. Much of our manufacturing is not done by machines, it is done by hand.

Q. How have the citizens and community of High Point supported you?

A. Davis Furniture has grown significantly in recent years as we continue on our mission to be a leader in the contract furniture industry. High Point is where we live and work, it is where our employees are raising their families. As the city continues to grow, it only benefits our ability to continue our growth as a company.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in High Point, what would it be?

A. Get out in the High Point community and get involved. The citizens of High Point are very dedicated to our city and have a true passion for making it a great place to live and work.

Photography by Davis Furniture

Q. What are you excited about for High Point’s future?

A. We are most excited for all of the growth this area is experiencing. It is fantastic to watch the city flourish and we look forward to watching this continue and contributing whenever and wherever we can. As High Point residents and business owners, we are excited about the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead.

Photography by Davis Furniture

In conclusion to our interview, Ashley shared the following humorous yet very informative story that speaks to the quality of Davis Furniture:

In the early 1950’s, Davis was finding a new market with colleges and universities up and down the east coast. Florida State University placed an order for over 800 chairs in 1954 after testing the quality of the Davis product by tossing a sample chair from a second story window. As other sizable orders came in, the firm realized it had found its niche. For the next twenty-five years the emphasis would be on durable, attractive pieces for university environments.

At Barbour Spangle Design we believe in sharing our vision and mission to give our clients, our team and most importantly ourselves reminders of our future. We were delighted to find the following Vision and Mission statements on the Davis Furniture website!

Mission Statement Our mission is to be a leader in the contract furniture industry for superior design in aesthetics and function with an international contemporary influence, while maintaining a dedication to our customers by providing superior service and overall value with the highest corporate integrity.

Vision Statement Always looking to the future of work environments and how we can offer cutting-edge products with innovative design, function, and aesthetics that make the workplace more appealing.

Photography by ZoZo Photography

To learn more about Davis Furniture visit their website here. We would like to extend a special thanks to Ashley for her time to bring you this information on Davis! Be sure to check back often, we will be featuring a story on Ashley in the near future!

Keep discovering our High Points,

The HPD Team

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