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It’s no secret that LaGrange County is home to some of the finest and most distinguished craftsman in our country, but we’re betting most of our residents have no idea about the varying skillsets of creators in our area or the impact they have on our local economy. When people think about the phrase ‘Made in LaGrange County’ or the economy here, it’s safe to say our collective, immediate thought is the RV industry. We aren’t diminishing the importance of the RV industry to our County and its economy; however, we want to bring light to other local industries and share an exclusive look into some of the unique and wonderful things that are happening right here in our rural paradise. This is Made in LaGrange, a new feature written by Emilee at LaGrange County Economic Development to showcase the many facets of our complex community and the creators that reside in it.
FN Chairs, formerly known as F&N Woodworking, was started in 1995 by Freeman P. Miller – a familiar name in LaGrange County. Located 2175 W 450 S in LaGrange, the company has undergone several expansions in the last 30 years with the most recent resulting in a name change as the business began an ownership migration from Father to Son and Nephew.
At its start in 1995 there were just a couple of employees – Freeman, his son and one other, and there was no one in LaGrange or Elkhart County doing wholesale furniture production and sales. There were a great many woodworkers doing custom cabinetry, but none of them were producing a wholesale product, so Freeman’s business plan was a unique one to the area as they would be selling strictly wholesale to furniture stores and distributors. This plan proved to be very successful because by 2000 their operation had grown enough that they needed a new building, which they have since added on to several times with the most recent addition being added in 2021.
In 1999 the first Northern Indiana Woodcrafters Association (NIWA) Furniture Expo was held, and Freeman was instrumental in its inception. NIWA was founded strictly for Indiana’s Amish Woodcrafters, and it is still strictly for them. The expo is a unique showcase in that it is exclusive to Indiana Amish Woodcrafters, whereas other existing expos of its type are not exclusive to the regions they are held in. In its early years the show’s attendees were by invitation only, but as the show has evolved that is no longer the case – it is open to any wholesaler that would like to attend. The show has moved several times as it has grown, initially being held at the LaGrange fairgrounds, and moving to several other locations before it ultimately landed at its current home, the Michiana Event Center (MEC) in Shipshewana.
Today, FN Chairs collaborates with local table makers to complete dining sets for display to wholesalers. They produce over 100 different styles of chairs, ranging from wood-frame to upholstered, and make over 100,000 chairs each year. During an industry peak they were producing over 3,000 chairs per week, and when Covid hit in early 2021 they were averaging a ship lead time of only 28 days from order to delivery on their full catalog. Prior to Covid FN Chairs and several other local vendors established a quick ship program that ended up being critical to furniture stores. This program allowed for select categories in select finishes to be shipped and received within 5 days of their order.
When asked about obstacles faced, Freeman stated that their main obstacle early on were the Amish builders in Ohio doing similar things. Their businesses are East of us, which meant that they had already captured a lot of the potential customer base to the East as they had already been working in the wholesale market. Also, their product pricing is lower because their labor costs are less – RV factory pay rates are high, and other employers in the area must be able to offer competitive pay or they won’t find quality employees. Today, Indiana Amish are recognized in the wholesale furniture market as leaders in innovation and they attract customers from every direction. Additionally, Freeman shared some advice for aspiring business owners and innovators. He said, “When you want to start a business, put your heart seriously into it. When you make that decision, make sure that you know your bottom line. Too many people want to start a business because they see someone else being successful and they think they can copy their model, but that not how to do it. You have to know your bottom line, and your costs because what they’re doing may not match what you can do. No one can promise you anything, I had to get at it, and go out and sell myself.”
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