A North Carolina furniture company says it doubled sales from last year in large part because of buyers looking to avoid tariffs.
:Ben Briscoe
NORTH CAROLINA, USA — When you pull into the lot at Carolina Custom Leather, the first sign of change isn’t just the new furniture—it’s the “We’re Hiring” signs out front.
That’s good news for workers like Davey Cartner, a local dad providing for his 8-year-old daughter.
“We’ve been busy. Really busy actually,” Cartner said. “It’s job security. I love having plenty of work.”
It’s part of a manufacturing rebound that industry veteran and artist Bob Timberlake says is tied directly to a growing consumer demand: American-made furniture.
“The market—it could not have been better for us,” Timberlake said.
He says his American Home furniture line doubled its sales over the past year. He credits that surge in large part to customers wanting to avoid high tariffs by buying products made in the U.S. And every piece Timberlake produces keeps more than just his own company working. For example the batting inside was made at a factory down the road in Hickory. And stuffing came from High Point.
Timberlake says it’s not just about furniture—it’s about the future.
“It’s going to bring business to America. It’s going to bring industry to America. It’s going to be jobs to America. And it’s going to make us more successful. No question about it.”
Back in March, former President Donald Trump said that’s exactly what the tariffs were designed to do.
“As an example, North Carolina—they had the grid,” Trump said. “I used to go there to buy furniture for hotels. And it’s been wiped out. That business all went to other countries. And now it’s all going to come back into North Carolina.”
But not everyone in the furniture industry is seeing the same success. According to a survey by Furniture Today, 70% of furniture-related businesses say tariffs will have a very significant impact on them. Over half of those companies say they will have to raise prices for customers.
Now, that pressure may ease—at least for a while. President Trump rolled back tariffs on goods from China from 145% to 30% for the next 90 days.
Still, Timberlake believes the push to “buy American” isn’t going anywhere.
“It’s out in the air. I know more about it. You know more about it. Everybody else knows more about it. That’s the good thing,” he said.
Because in North Carolina, furniture is more than just a product—it’s part of the fabric of our economy.
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