There’s No Place Like Home: American-Made Stickley

A favorite company ad campaign once juxtaposed Stickley furniture with some iconic American brands, all under the very apt headline “Uniquely American.” The sentiment was true then and is true today: L. & J.G. Stickley is a homegrown institution with a strong commitment to American manufacturing. More than 90 percent of our products are crafted in New York and North Carolina with a pride instilled in us by our founders and the example they set 125 years ago.

Born in the U.S.A.

By the time Wisconsin native Gustav Stickley began to gain attention with his American Arts and Crafts (“Mission”) designs in 1900, he and his brothers had established themselves in the Central New York furniture industry. Gus opened up shop in the Syracuse neighborhood of Eastwood, later naming it the Craftsman Workshops. He also published The Craftsman magazine locally to share his manufacturing and design philosophy, including his endorsement of American hardwoods over exotic imports.


Gus's Craftsman Workshops in Eastwood, New York

His brothers Leopold and John George purchased the Collin, Sisson & Pratt furniture factory in nearby Fayetteville in 1900 and established L. & J.G. Stickley. For many decades, it was so closely associated with the village that Stickley of Fayetteville became its recognizable brand identity. And that same factory remained its home for nearly 75 years!


L. & J.G. Stickley's Fayetteville factory

The factories today

Alfred and Aminy Audi purchased the company in 1974, years after Leopold’s death, and such was their success that Stickley quickly outgrew the Fayetteville factory. Ground was broken in 1984 for a larger, more modern plant in the neighboring village of Manlius. The new Stickley headquarters opened there in 1985, complete with 121,000 square feet of manufacturing space and a 15,500-square-foot showroom area. A series of seven expansions and remodels brought more improvements over the years. Today, the Manlius facility measures over 400,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, and office space, and employs hundreds of local craftspeople and staff.


Stickley's Manlius, New York, headquarters

In 1995, poised to fully enter the upholstery business, Stickley purchased Heirloom Upholstery, a high-end manufacturer in High Point, North Carolina, that was highly regarded by Stickley’s network of dealers. Its factory, later relocated to a larger facility in nearby Archdale, became Stickley Fine Upholstery, where our luxury upholstered goods are made to this day by an expert local workforce.


Stickley Fine Upholstery in Archdale, North Carolina

Bound to our community

With such a long history, Stickley cherishes its connection to the communities that have sustained it, and its ties to Manlius and Fayetteville are particularly special. The company supports numerous organizations in the region and participates annually in community events, including the popular Manlius Fourth of July Parade—an occasion that for many years included a Stickley Chair Race that was a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Manlius Fourth of July parades through the years

And The Stickley Museum, housed in the original Fayetteville factory building, has brought together company history and local history since 2007, when it was opened by the Audis on the occasion of Alfred Audi’s birthday. Today it hosts year-round visitors from far and wide and welcomes area school students who take part in annual field trips.


The Stickley Museum is launched; Director Amanda Clifford leads a student tour

For 125 years, Stickley has been a model of American manufacturing, creating jobs, contributing to local economies, and producing goods of the finest quality—all while playing a vital role in its communities. Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz—created by L. Frank Baum from the neighboring town of Chittenango!—got it exactly right: There’s no place like home.

Additional sources:

Aminy Audi, CEO and Chair of the Board

Amanda Clifford, Director, The Stickley Museum