“I don’t want to see it liquidated and I don’t think it will be,” he says. “It has more value as a going concern than its liquidated value.”
Harden says commercial sales were strong in 2017, rising 30 percent. Sales this month are up 145 percent over January last year, he adds, with broad-based commercial demand. “Maybe corporations are a little more optimistic about making purchases,” he says.
Harden Furniture, which makes hardwood furniture and upholstered furniture, is a high-end brand with big-name customers. Harden says the company’s No. 1 buyer is the U.S. State Department with embassies and offices around the world. The No. 2 customer is the White House.
“That’s not just the Oval Office,” Harden says. “I don’t know if there’s an office in the White House or Executive Office Building that isn’t Harden at this point.”
International markets are promising for Harden Furniture as well, he says. While currently the company sells about 5 percent of its product overseas, the company is talking with a large Chinese retailer with stores throughout China and the Far East. That’s a huge market, Harden notes.
Bids for Harden Furniture must be received by 9 a.m. on Jan. 31, Harden says. He expects to make a decision by end of that day.
Contact McChesney at cmcchesney@cnybj.com.
*Photos provided by Greg Harden