Hancock and Moore Factory Tour 01-2023

[Inconceivable]

Wanted to recap our visit to Hickory, North Carolina including the Hancock and Moore plant and the Hickory Furniture Mart.

We arrived around 3pm on Saturday and it’s a very picturesque drive. Rolling hills and lots of open space. We went to the Hickory Furniture Mart right away since they aren’t open on Sunday. This was by far the most H&M I have ever seen in one place. Really the most high end furniture I have ever seen in one place. We were able to sit on dozens of different models and lines and see some really unique leathers. I included a picture of a Monaco recliner in Hyde Park Avocado below as an example. I have been dying to see that leather as we have a green as a major color in our home. Thank god we did…much lighter than we were expecting…anyways. I highly recommend a stop at this multi story center to try out models you are interested in…just don’t expect knowledgeable staff…Duane has spoiled us with his knowledge and insights. But we did sit on a Journey sofa and a Sundance sofa…wow what a sit!! I think I finally understand what I have read on the forum in regards to how the different sofa and recliner models are designed when it comes to the sit. It is not just the physical dimensions…but the way the cushions are sized and how the cushion cores are filled/stuffed….some much more plush and airy then others. In one section they literally had 7-8 different recliner models in a circle that you could compare to one another. Wonderful resource!

Monday morning we arrived at 7am at plant 3. There was a very small sign out front but not difficult to find at all. We met Brian the plant manager and he had us go around back to the loading dock. No less than 5 H&M workers came out with our two recliners and set of 3 core cushions and loaded them into our Ford Transit Cargo van. They couldn’t have been more gracious about it and moved at a lightening pace. I had asked Duane if I could bring my H&M Ottoman up to have some additional nail detail added and he had assured me there would be no issue. I mentioned this to the H&M workers and they whisked our ottoman out of the van and confirmed with me the nail type and the desired pattern to apply. After showing them a picture on my phone from the H&M website they assured me they would have it done in an hour. After that we proceeded to Plant 1 for the tour which we did with their plant manager Mark Cline. Mark was kind, highly knowledgeable, and refreshingly candid. He showed us their state of the art cutting machine (picture below) which was just too cool. The knowledge of the experienced operator is expressed in a wireless pen he/she uses to mark the grade of the leather. This ensures that only the highest quality parts of each hide are used on the most visible areas. The machine takes those labels from the worker and rapidly and precisely cuts the pieces out and even labels them to make it easier to put them together on the frame later!!! The most surprising part to me was the woodworking preparation area. I was there to see the leather (and there were literally rooms full to the ceiling) but the amount of labor and time spent on the wood just blew me away. These surfaces are touched by dozens of employees…the same piece of wood is gone over so many times with different treatments all by hand! Then they are sent through what is basically an oven to seal it all. Mark got us a tour of this area with the head of that particular area and holy cow was this woman sharp! She was so friendly and just bursting with details about the process. Everyone was so friendly, every time we entered a new area of the factory, the workers made a point to take a second to stop what they were doing, make eye contact with us and say hello or wave. Not what many would think of for “factory employees”. Then they immediately got back to work…no one was standing around…people were moving with purpose!! Seeing the scale of the work and the focus of each area was so so cool…to know our furniture came through their skilled hands was satisfying. Finally we got to the Burnishing area which is what we have fallen in love with. I included some pictures below of the same leather cut (believe it was cameo tan) pre-burnish application and post-burnishing. I highly encourage a visit…you will feel so much more connected to your furniture.

We headed back to plant 3 to pick up our Ottoman. They had it wrapped up and ready to go and the 2 men that helped us load it up were just so down to earth. They thanked us for supporting Hancock and Moore and wished us a safe journey home.

Thanks to Duane for setting up such a wonderful experience for my wife and I.

[Danw99]

That sounds pretty cool and a great way to spend a day. Thanks for sharing!

[drcollie]

Great Review, I'm glad you had a good adventure! More and more of my customer are picking up at the factories because the tours are excellent and that part of the country is really beautiful, especially in Spring and Fall.

Hickory Furniture Mart is really the manufactuer's outlet stores, its not a traditional dealer. Every maker in Hickory NC has a space there where they send their orphans, over-runs, cancelled orders, returns, odd-lots and the like. There are some very good buys there as well, the place is designed to move product. However, they will not ship because they do not want to compete with their dealers, its strictly cash n' carry, and you haul it.

Tours at great at Hancock and Moore, I love to go there. They have real pride in what they do and they are grateful for the orders, they really are. They know, that without support from customers like you, they won't have a job. And they also know that they have a reputation to uphold as being the best in the industry. That means everyone there has to do their job right on every piece. The buzz in the plants is electric, everyone really does move with purpose, there are no laggards standing around a coffee pot.....ever. I come away from there always thinking they work harder than I do! Good people, Friendly People. It's why Hancock and Moore is always my favorite supplier.

[Ci2Eye]

I too did a tour of the Hancock and Moore factory but it was some time ago; in 2015. My tour guide was Jimmy Moore who was remarkably humble, good natured and supremely knowledgeable about his business. I suspect that the kindness of the employees you witnessed is a reflection of the founder who worked side-by-side with the employees on the factory floor for so long. My impression of Mr. Moore from that day was that he knew each of the employees and he knew about them and he thoroughly enjoyed not being in an office but working with the employees and making the products that carried his name.

I was also quite surprised by the difference between the more glamorous imagery portrayed by H&M though advertisements, displays in stores and industry shows and the very purposeful factory. The two couldn't be more different. I expected something a bit fancier to align with the upmarket nature of the product but, as Duane said, there wasn't even a sign out front or any kind of elegant lobby filled with their products. In hindsight, I kinda think that's the way it should be.