The Preservation Trust Trestle Table, bench and side chairs are shown with the Baguette and Macchiato finishes.

Hooker Furniture is launching a solid alder dining program at market that aims to serve the growing demand for solid wood, heirloom quality furniture among retailers and designers alike.

Preservation Trust offers four dining tables, including a rectangular leg, a round pedestal, a trestle base and craftsman-inspired transitional base table. The tops of these tables, as well as companion slatback, x-back and ladderback chairs and a 60-inch long bench, come in three finishes – macchiato, baguette and toasted sesame. Table bases, along with companion buffet/hutch and server units are available in the macchiato finish.

The rectangular tables feature tops in 74-inch and 99-inch lengths, while the round comes in 48-inch and 60-inch sizes.

The sideboard is 66 by 36 inches while the buffet is 44 by 36 inches. The companion hutch is 42 inches tall.

The company is adding the category at a time when solid wood furniture is being offered by domestic resources and importers alike. Companies such as case goods importers Kincaid and A-America have offered solid wood dining and bedroom for years, while domestic resources including Canadian producers Durham and West Bros and companies that source from Amish workshops have also offered solid wood in a variety of finish options.

Companies such as Bassett Furniture are expanding their own solid wood dining offerings with new categories such as occasional and bedroom, while Vaughan-Bassett is launching a solid wood bedroom this market program initiative to compete directly with Amish resources by offering shorter lead times.

By offering a limited number of SKUs in three targeted finishes that the company’s research shows are the most on trend and in demand finishes in the marketplace, Hooker believes it too can offer quicker delivery times from its Martinsville, Va., warehouse.

“We will stock for immediate delivery and turns,” said Kim Shaver, a marketing consultant for Hooker.

The dining program is also positioned in the Hooker line with a 72-inch leg table retailing at about $999 and a 48-inch round table retailing around $1,399. A 72-inch trestle table retails at $1,759. Side chairs retail from $319 to $349, while armchairs retail from $375 to $385.

Officials are optimistic about the program, given the positive reaction at premarket and popularity of the category in the marketplace.

“There is a much greater demand for solid wood furniture with the consumer and that is what we are trying to reach,” Shaver noted.

Hooker’s showroom is C-1058 of the International Home Furnishings Center.

(Source: Furniture Today  Author: Thomas Russell)