Yesterday a writer contacted us about a story he was writing on licensed furniture collections. He had heard of the Alexa Hampton Collection and knew it would be a licensed collection. Little did he realize the rich licensing experience of Hickory Chair. I asked if he would like me to start at the beginning and he said "please!"
Hickory Chair began 99 years ago in 1911 as a dining chair company henceforth how we named our company. By the Great Depression we were making bedroom, dining room and living room furniture. The country was in the midst of a Colonial Revival as the country started slowly improving from the Depression. Manufacturers in Michigan, New York and other northern states had introduced licensed collections that were historical in origin. No manufacturer in North Carolina had licensed collections. In 1931 Hickory Chair introduced its first licensed group, The Dorothy Robinson Collection. With immediate success this first licensed collection flourished. Mr. Parker, co-owner of Bishop Parker Furniture in Montgomery, Alabama shared with us "...Times were hard in 1931. We were barely able to keep the store open. We decided we had to go to Chicago to the Furniture Market and try to find something that was a good value and style for the type homes in our area. We visited Hickory Chair and decided the new Dorothy Robinson Collection was right for our need. We bought a boxcar load to test it. It was an immediate success! Our business soon flourished and am proud to say that now 70 years later (quote made around 2001), we are likely still in business because of the success we had with Hickory Chair's Dorothy Robinson Collection. Without it, we may not have survived..."
By World War II, all manufacturing efforts turned to support the war effort. Hickory Chair signed a 
licensing agreement with the James River Plantation foundation in 1941 and launched the James River Collection. These plantations line the James River in Virginia. Four of our early presidents were raised in these homes and most are filled with fine 18th Century antiques from America's early cabinetmakers and England. 
Another huge success for Hickory Chair! The Dorothy Robinson Collection waned and eventually ended production in the 1940's. The James River Collection is still in production and is the industry's oldest and 
continuously manufactured collection! It is hard to imagine that the James River Collection will celebrate 70 years as the company celebrates 100 years in 2011! The Sherwood Forest Plantation is where we found the antique reproduced as the Sherwood Forest Wing Chair.
Stay tuned for Part II in the series as we pick up with the Mark Hampton Collection...
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