From the Archives: The Huntington Wholesale Furniture Company Catalogs

From the Archives: The Huntington Wholesale Furniture Company Catalogs

Now that furniture market is winding down, we thought it might be fun to introduce the newest addition to the library’s digital archive collection: The Huntington Wholesale Furniture Company Catalogs.

Huntington Wholesale Furniture Company was an avid participant in the National Wholesale Furniture Association or NWFA.  The records and publications of the NWFA are housed in the archives at Smith Library.  A link to the catalogs is located on the NWFA Collection page of the archives website:

https://www.highpoint.edu/library/nhfa-collection/

With the help of Frank Hanshaw Jr. (owner of Huntington) we recently digitized several of their catalogs showcasing the changing furniture styles over the last eighty years. These catalogs were used by the salesmen to promote furniture lines to local merchants.  One catalog from each decade was selected to highlight the changes in styles and trends.

Keeping in mind that wholesale companies carried a wide range of products, (they were the precursors to big box stores like BestBuy and Walmart) customers could find everything they needed to furnish their homes and enjoy all the modern conveniences. Here are just a few examples:

FURNITURE:

Being a wholesale furniture company, customers could also order:

APPLIANCES:

OUTDOOR FURNITURE:

EVEN THE KITCHEN:

Any and everything you might need to furnish your dream home could be found in the pages of the Huntington Wholesale Furniture catalog.  Take a peek:

https://www.highpoint.edu/library/furniture-catalogs/

-Amy Ruhe, Archivist and Technical Services Assistant