Ash Dowels, Danish Cord, and Lineberry Carts

[wsrhue]

On the way to the Dixie Rocking Chair company in Statesville yesterday to pick up the chair parts, I noticed right down the street there was a Mitchel Gold Bob Williams plant which is a large furniture company that folded a couple years ago. There were 3 people there helping to clear out the factory. They were all very friendly and helpful. One lady walked us through the factory to help locate the different auction lots that I purchased. When we got to the pallet of paper seating cord she got excited. She said that she wove the seats (not by hand, they had four machines that actually did the weaving) and it was her favorite responsibility in the factory,. She showed us different machines and how they worked. At its height the Dixie Rocking Chair company employed upward or thirty people. For the last year or two there were 8 employees including the manager and the woman in the office. The lady said her husband and son also worked there and that the lady in the office had a son that worked there. It reminded me that not all family businesses are owned by the families working there.