“There’s a great
“There’s a great availability of materials and we’ve been very fortunate to have access to a strong and knowledgeable labor pool and craftsmanship.” – Kyle Tager, owner, Brown Street Furniture Brown Street Furniture Thrives With Ash, Maple, Cherry BY CLARE ADRIAN Whitefield, N.H.– Case goods manufacturer Brown Street Furniture has no problem getting business. Identical twin brothers Kyle and Adam Tager have done the monumental legwork. They bought two struggling businesses as recent as 2008, merged them under one roof, changed the mindset of the manufacturing process, improved delivery times and surged toward profitability, all during one of the greatest recessions of their – or anyone’s – lifetime. Given the investment of money and time into the factory, the company is poised for abundant success. In the way is the ability to increase the flow of materials through the factory. “Sales demand has exceeded the business’ current capital capacity, forcing the business to focus on organic means, increasing production volume, and limiting the need to grow sales,” said Kyle. “It’s frustrating that most people struggle with no sales and fortunately we have sales, and could have more sales, if we could produce more quickly.” Ash is just one of the most popular species amidst the nearly 500,000 board feet of lumber Kyle purchases annually, in Nos. 1 and 2 Common grades, from 4/4 to 8/4 thicknesses. Brown Street predominantly produces adult bed furniture and occasional pieces such as coffee tables, in Maple and Cherry. The Tagers also purchase a lesser amount of pine. The lumber industry has thrived in the Northern New Hampshire area where the factory is located, 45 miles south of the Canadian border in the White Mountain region of Coos County. “There’s a great availability of materials and we’ve been very fortunate to have access to a strong and knowledgeable labor pool and crafts- manship,” said Kyle, who arrived in the area from Los Angeles in 1990 to attend college. The winning number in the mix would be acquiring a lumber mill to be able to pull the transportation cost out of the equation. The 100,000 square foot facility – 20,000 square feet of which is warehouse and the remainder factory, offices, lumber shed and other miscellaneous usage – actually was a former logging mill built on the 14 acre property in the 1800s. Situated on the Johns River, which runs through the center of town, it was owned by John Brown the abolitionist, whose family lineage connects to the Boston Browns that arrived in America on the Mayflower. It later became a creosote factory, followed by a case goods factory under various ownerships and corporations. Nuroco, one of the original corporations, built mostly institutional furniture for universities. Kilns were used for drying lumber as of 1985 when the business became Brown Street Furniture. However, said Kyle, “The cost of drying our own material became more costly than purchasing it dried.” One of the brothers’ 2008 acquisitions was the Vermont Tubbs Please turn to page 43 20 Hardwoods Have Resiliency
Hand sanders inspect and hand review all the furniture before it is finished and painted at Brown Street Furniture, located in Whitefield, N.H. Weekly loads of material flow through the factory to support the new Lean just-in-time material supply methods. Machinist Craig Merrill uses the planer in shaving off the water-based glue once boards are glued-up. The Ultimizer maximizes material yield as it cuts the wood before it is glued-up. Machinist Michael St. Onge uses the glue wheel to glue-up the wood. Furniture as it works its way through the paint shop at Brown. AUGUST/2011 21
