Abstract:
The furniture industry had a modest beginning in the state. The early colonists brought very little with them and what they built themselves was crudely done. Later itinerant-cabinetmakers, when travel became more common, moved from community to community crafting some fine furniture. Henry Payne was one of the most prominent of these men. The first real factory was built in High Point in 1880, and from that date the industry has progressed until now it is the third largest industry in the state.