Vanguard Furniture Marks 50 Year Milestone

Furniture World News Desk on 10/14/2019

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Vanguard Furniture. 1969 was a watershed year—marked by the moon landing, Woodstock and The Beatles’ last public performance. These were heady times of buoyant optimism that inspired the passion of Vanguard’s life-long pursuit to build the world’s best furniture. Since its inception in 1969—in a modest facility with a mere two employees and single velvet chair—Vanguard Furniture has evolved into the premier purveyor of upper end custom furniture, crediting much of its success to its uncompromising values and culture.

John Bray, Vanguard’s eighth employee and current CEO explains, “Vanguard is referred to as a family company—not because it is family-owned—but because our most basic core value is and has always been to treat one another with the dignity and appreciation of a family member. We follow the golden rule of treating people the way we would want to be treated. When people feel appreciated and understood, they perform extraordinary service to others.” Bray continued, “we are conscience driven company, committed to regarding all—associates and customers alike–with empathy, dignity and respect.”

Bray reminisced, “in ’69 we had the conflicting beliefs that the world was coming to an end and nearly
anything was possible—both in the same breath. To borrow a line from Dickens Tale of Two Cities, it was
the best of times and the worst of times.

There were hints of an apocalypse. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated; it was the earliest
documented case of aids and there was a huge oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara. The Manson
family invaded the home of Sharon Tate and the Vietnam war reached a turning point. Some people
thought the world was coming to an end.

And there were hints of optimism. In the very same year, we put a man on the moon. The brash
Joe Namath promised and delivered on a Superbowl win. Scoobie Doo, The Brady Bunch, Sesame
Street and Frosty the Snowman premiered their first episodes, and Willie Mays hit his 600th
homerun, surpassing Babe Ruth. Depending on which lens you used to view the prism of life, it
was either the best or worst of times to start a company.

“It is really no different today,” he added. Like today, 1969 marked a changing of the guard when younger, fresher and more optimistic ideas replaced the established rank and file. And like today it was a turbulent time of a divided nation. My advice to young people today is to start now, work hard, believe in yourself and in fifty years you too will be the best at what you do.”

Vanguard has never lost sight of its dream to be the industry’s premier purveyor of custom solutions for both casegoods and upholstery and a vision to enrich people’s lives through custom-made furniture. It has established itself as a leading manufacturer in the industry by sustaining the brand’s reputation for innovation, fashion, reliability and responsiveness.

The innovation goes well beyond manufacturing techniques. Vanguard is renowned for being the pioneer in fabric to frame computer modeling and has the most emulated healthcare plan in the industry. Its sophisticated information systems are among the most dealer friendly and allow users to calculate pricing of complex, custom items quickly and accurately. Its highly original “Make it Yours” program makes it easy to enter into a dialog with a customer and to create a one of kind piece of furniture. Innovation and continuous improvement drive the company to be fresh and relevant.

When asked how he expects Vanguard to evolve over the next 50 years, Bray smiled confidently and replied, “by doing the same things that brought us to the dance: constantly innovating, being at the forefront of fashion, paying attention to what our customers and the marketplace needs, providing dealers and designers with the products and services to profitably differentiate themselves, delivering incomparable quality and keeping the promises we make.”

In its 50th anniversary year, and the next 5+ decades, Vanguard will continue to trailblaze the custom furniture space. The torch has been passed to Andy Bray to continue the legacy. The younger Bray opined, “There are certain attributes of the human condition that simply cannot change, and there is a high degree of likelihood that future generations will still be sleeping in beds, sharing meals around dining tables, and sitting on a comfortable chair or sofa for a moment of quiet repose...Whatever the future brings, Vanguard will adapt to be there for our customers.”

About Vanguard Furniture: Vanguard Furniture is a manufacturer and marketer of case goods and upholstery. It is a family held company, employing 600 associates and operates out of six manufacturing buildings in Hickory, North Carolina, and a 40,000+-square foot showroom in High Point, NC and its newest manufacturing location in Hillsville, Virginia. Its mission is to lead home furnishings in style, value and service with a vision to enrich lives through custom-crafted furniture. Vanguard is a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council and its green initiatives include recycling 95% of all post manufacturing waste; recycling paper, fabric scraps, metal, wood scrap, plastic and corrugated products. The showroom is located at 301 N Hamilton St, in High Point. For more information, visit www.vanguardfurniture.com.