We are a third generation, family-owned furniture company in Conover, North Carolina.

Our location at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Hickory, North Carolina is important because it impacts who we are and how we do business. Craftsmanship, honesty, integrity, reliability, hard work and pride are vital elements of life here.  These values have been passed down in our family for more than 80 years and are alive and well in our company and the furniture we build for you.

Embracing change is nothing new for Carolina Chair Inc. In the 1920s, it was the railroad. When the first rail distribution network became a reality in the Blue Ridge Mountains, H.D. Fry Sr. founded the Hickory-Fry Furniture Co. In 1926, Fry traded a portion of his apple-tree orchard for a building he would use to manufacture quality furniture. The railways allowed the young company to distribute the fruits of its budding business to the rest of the nation. Fry's customers were large retail stores and furniture brokers in large metropolitan areas near the rail lines. The retailers and brokers provided the only avenue for reaching the end consumer.

During the post-World War II years, change came in the form of interstate commerce via the national interstate highway system. H.D. Fry Jr. recognized that the trucking industry linked every town in America, and he moved to capitalize on the latest distribution method. For furniture stores, it meant that inventory could be delivered to their areas faster and cheaper than ever before, and it enabled smaller furniture stores — many in rural areas — to get products directly from furniture manufacturers for the first time. The age of the furniture broker began to wane, but Hickory-Fry's customers remained retailers, who marketed and sold the products to the consumer.

As the 20^th century wound down, change emerged again through the transforming presence of the Internet. The Fry family again recognized the opportunity. For the first time, technology now allows the furniture consumer to buy directly from the manufacturer. H.D. Fry III broke new ground in the industry by launching Carolina Chair, Inc. — the first furniture manufacturer to sell direct to you our customer.