Hancock and Moore Factory Tour 01-2023

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Wanted to recap our visit to Hickory, North Carolina including the Hancock and Moore plant and the Hickory Furniture Mart.

We arrived around 3pm on Saturday and it’s a very picturesque drive. Rolling hills and lots of open space. We went to the Hickory Furniture Mart right away since they aren’t open on Sunday. This was by far the most H&M I have ever seen in one place. Really the most high end furniture I have ever seen in one place. We were able to sit on dozens of different models and lines and see some really unique leathers. I included a picture of a Monaco recliner in Hyde Park Avocado below as an example. I have been dying to see that leather as we have a green as a major color in our home. Thank god we did…much lighter than we were expecting…anyways. I highly recommend a stop at this multi story center to try out models you are interested in…just don’t expect knowledgeable staff…Duane has spoiled us with his knowledge and insights. But we did sit on a Journey sofa and a Sundance sofa…wow what a sit!! I think I finally understand what I have read on the forum in regards to how the different sofa and recliner models are designed when it comes to the sit. It is not just the physical dimensions…but the way the cushions are sized and how the cushion cores are filled/stuffed….some much more plush and airy then others. In one section they literally had 7-8 different recliner models in a circle that you could compare to one another. Wonderful resource!

Monday morning we arrived at 7am at plant 3. There was a very small sign out front but not difficult to find at all. We met Brian the plant manager and he had us go around back to the loading dock. No less than 5 H&M workers came out with our two recliners and set of 3 core cushions and loaded them into our Ford Transit Cargo van. They couldn’t have been more gracious about it and moved at a lightening pace. I had asked Duane if I could bring my H&M Ottoman up to have some additional nail detail added and he had assured me there would be no issue. I mentioned this to the H&M workers and they whisked our ottoman out of the van and confirmed with me the nail type and the desired pattern to apply. After showing them a picture on my phone from the H&M website they assured me they would have it done in an hour. After that we proceeded to Plant 1 for the tour which we did with their plant manager Mark Cline. Mark was kind, highly knowledgeable, and refreshingly candid. He showed us their state of the art cutting machine (picture below) which was just too cool. The knowledge of the experienced operator is expressed in a wireless pen he/she uses to mark the grade of the leather. This ensures that only the highest quality parts of each hide are used on the most visible areas. The machine takes those labels from the worker and rapidly and precisely cuts the pieces out and even labels them to make it easier to put them together on the frame later!!! The most surprising part to me was the woodworking preparation area. I was there to see the leather (and there were literally rooms full to the ceiling) but the amount of labor and time spent on the wood just blew me away. These surfaces are touched by dozens of employees…the same piece of wood is gone over so many times with different treatments all by hand! Then they are sent through what is basically an oven to seal it all. Mark got us a tour of this area with the head of that particular area and holy cow was this woman sharp! She was so friendly and just bursting with details about the process. Everyone was so friendly, every time we entered a new area of the factory, the workers made a point to take a second to stop what they were doing, make eye contact with us and say hello or wave. Not what many would think of for “factory employees”. Then they immediately got back to work…no one was standing around…people were moving with purpose!! Seeing the scale of the work and the focus of each area was so so cool…to know our furniture came through their skilled hands was satisfying. Finally we got to the Burnishing area which is what we have fallen in love with. I included some pictures below of the same leather cut (believe it was cameo tan) pre-burnish application and post-burnishing. I highly encourage a visit…you will feel so much more connected to your furniture.

We headed back to plant 3 to pick up our Ottoman. They had it wrapped up and ready to go and the 2 men that helped us load it up were just so down to earth. They thanked us for supporting Hancock and Moore and wished us a safe journey home.

Thanks to Duane for setting up such a wonderful experience for my wife and I.