Custom upholstery manufacturer Craftmaster Furniture has purchased a former Broyhill factory here that will expand its production and warehousing capacity and that could add 100 jobs over the next few years.
The company said the 212,000-square-foot facility was the former Broyhill upholstery Plant 5, which once employed 375 workers.
It was sold to Vanguard Properties in 2009 and most recently housed Caye Furniture, which closed by early 2011. The facility has remained idle since then, said Craftmaster President Roy Calcagne.
The company purchased the plant from Vanguard Properties but officials did not reveal a purchase price. The deal was brokered by Charlotte, N.C.-based Stump & Co.
Calcagne said Craftmaster plans to invest between $1 million and $2 million to renovate the plant.
He said the new facility will expand the company's production capacity by 35% and will add 100 jobs to its payroll over the next few years as "the demand for our products continues to grow and with the introduction of a new product category this October market," which he said will be disclosed later.
"We have been fortunate to have had significant growth over the past several years, and we are near capacity with our two existing factories here in Alexander County," Calcagne added. "Our plans are to renovate the facility from top to bottom and establish several manufacturing lines here by the end of the year."
He said the company will keep its two existing plants in the area, which have a combined 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The new facility will have 132,000 square feet of manufacturing and about 80,000 square feet of warehouse.
The acquisition also is allowing the company to relocate its warehouse program from a leased building to the new facility. Warehousing capacity will grow from 50,000 to 80,000 square feet and will serve Craftmaster's Quick Ship upholstery program and its Encore imported leather line.
Calcagne said the extra capacity also will allow the company to add new styles as needed.
"I am proud of the fact that we continue to grow our domestic production and that we are creating jobs in a county that desperately needs them," he added. "We have a very dedicated work force that builds a great product and is made in the U.S.A."
Craftmaster was founded in 1972 in Taylorsville. It is a subsidiary of Samson Holdings, which also owns case goods resources Universal Furniture and Legacy Classic Furniture.
