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History: Smith Brothers of Berne launched in 1926 as the Homer Manufacturing Co., but its first manager, Orv Smith, and his brother Les Smith soon bought majority share of the company and changed the name to Smith Brothers Furniture Manufacturing Co. At the time, the company was focused on chairs that were priced lower than those made by nearby high-end manufacturer Dunbar Furniture Co. In 1960, the Smith brothers retired and sold their shares to Les’ son-in-law, Carl Muselman, and his brother, Art, who changed the name to Smith Brothers of Berne. When business slowed, Fred Lehman took 50% of the ownership and mounted a turnaround. He and his brother, Steve, brought the company back to profitability. Steve remains CEO today.
Products: Smith Brothers makes upholstered furniture, including sofas, living room chairs, dining chairs and recliners. Those pieces are sold to dealers who sell to customers. The company offers 1,000 fabrics and 100 leathers, which means customers have hundreds of options for customizing pieces of furniture.
Where to buy: Smith Brothers’ products are in about 450 storefronts in 42 states. In central Indiana, Kittles Furniture and Godby Home Furnishings carry Smith Brothers furniture.
Where it’s made: Smith Brothers has three plants: two in Berne in Adams County and one in Fort Wayne. The company sources wood from across the Midwest, which is milled at one of the Berne facilities. Workers at the second Berne location and the Fort Wayne plant assemble and upholster furniture using fabrics obtained domestically and internationally.
Employees: about 500 across three facilities
Interesting fact: Smith Brothers does not participate in the High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina where dealers and wholesalers from across the country trek annually to decide what furnishings the stores will sell. Instead, Smith Brothers hosts dealers at their facilities in Indiana to showcase their goods and help dealers make choices for the coming year.
Website: smithbrothersfurniture.com
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