This April will be the second Market that King Hickory will be housed downtown in the Olde Post Office at 100 E. Green Street, but the eight-way hand-tied custom upholstery maker is marking an even more important milestone this Spring. Fifty years have passed since the company was founded by Pee Wee Moser in Western North Carolina in 1958.

“We are proud of this accomplishment in this economy,” relates Sandi Teague, director of merchandising. Indeed, at a time when many family-owned manufacturers have sold out to larger public firms, a family member is still checking quality in the King Hickory plants everyday, and many of the more than 200 employees have been with the company since the ‘70s. (Mr. Moser’s daughter remains credit manager to this day). As for the secret to the firm’s longevity, Keith Hart, TITLE, offers a simple formula: “Everyday we make good furniture for good people and we sell it at a good profit.”