1930s to 1950s

1 9 3 0 s to 1 9 5 0 s
Desmond Kendrick
Desmond Kendrick
Furnishing a Nation: The story of furniture making in Martinsville-Henry County
W. M. Bassett, CEO
of Bassett Furniture
Industries, smiles as
he views his dream
come true—the huge,
modern table plant
he so enthusiastically
supervised from
the planning board
to completion.
T. L. “Red” Campbell cuts headboards at
Hooker-Bassett Furniture circa 1930.
Cover of Hooker-Bassett
Furniture catalog
from 1942. The catalog
featured bedroom,
dining room, and “odd
robes,” which included
a variety of wardrobes.
1930
1942
J.D. Bassett holds a
“house divided”
meeting and forms
Bassett Furniture
Industries, Inc., an
umbrella combination of all three
companies (J.D. Bassett
Manufacturing, and
W.M. Bassett and
Bassett Furniture
Companies).
During World War II,
Bassett converts its
plants to produce
truck bodies for the
armed forces.
1930
Tom Stanley reduces
his annual salary
from $7,500 to $900
as a cost-cutting
measure during The
Depression. Instead
of firing employees
during this time of
slow demand, the
furniture companies
spread the work
among all employees,
allowing everyone to
make a small amount
of money.
1933
Stanley Furniture
shows a profit of
$12,000.
1934
The newly formed
Bassett Furniture
Industries, Inc.
purchases Ramsey
Furniture Company
for $117,000 and
creates a new
company, Bassett
Superior Lines.
1934
Presentation of gold watches for 25
years of service at Hooker Furniture on
December 22, 1949. Recipients include:
W.B. Dillon, A.F. Hooker, O.E. Crouch,
and J.C. Hooker.
Thomas B. Stanley,
founder of Stanley
Furniture, became
governor of Virginia in
1954. Prior to that,
he was a member of the
Virginia House of
Delegates (1930-46),
Speaker of the House
(1942-46), and U.S.
Congressman (1946-53).
Pictured here is the cover
of the commemorative
1954 inauguration
program.
The Stanleytown
Methodist Church
was erected in 1934
with funds made
available by Stanley
Furniture Company.
A 7-acre recreation
center was built
years later through
company funding.
1940
Hooker Furniture
installs a modern
conveyor system, which
improved efficiency
and accelerated
production.
1940
The capital stock
of Bassett Furniture
Industries increased
from $1.87 million
to $4 million.
In 1958, American of Martinsville builds
an impressive, free-standing showroom in
High-Point, called American Square.
1947
Gravely Furniture
purchases
Ridgeway Furniture
Manufacturing
Company, which
would later be
the site where their
famed grandfather
clocks would
be made.
1950
The post-war
Fifties saw a surge in
the economy, in
the population and
in furniture buying.
1950
The big boom in
television was beginning and Gravely
Furniture saw a
golden opportunity
by making tens of
thousands of TV tables
and bases, including
a lazy susan type for
such companies as
Philco, RCA, Sylvania,
Zenith and Magnavox.
1954
Founder of
Stanley Furniture,
Thomas B. Stanley,
Sr., is elected
governor of Virginia.
Back at the plant,
youth furniture
is becoming an
important category
in the Stanley line.
1956
Bassett launches
full-color ads in
LIFE magazine and
was the first furniture
company to use
mass media to market
its products.
1958
American of
Martinsville builds
an impressive, freestanding showroom
in High-Point, called
American Square.
1959
American of
Martinsville forms
Contract Division,
specializing in
furniture for hotels,
motels and college
dormitories—
industries it would
later exclusively focus
its marketing efforts.