Bassett Cherry Queen Anne 2 Tier Serpentine Sideboard Console Sofa Hall Table

Description

Vintage Bassett Furniture sofa table, sideboard or console. Made of cherry featuring Queen Anne styling with serpentine form an pad feet.

History of Bassett Furniture
Bassetts' begining was rooted in the late 1800s in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, an area northwest of Martinsville, Virginia. The Bassett family was running a sawmill that supplied rail ties for the new Norfolk & Western line that was being built through the family property. In 1892, the rail line was completed and the family began looking for markets for its lumber.

John David “J.D.” Bassett was making a good living traveling the countryside selling goods for general stores when he began carrying lumber samples from the mill. He quickly made his first sale of lumber to a coffin company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and returned home with the knowledge of the growing furniture industry and the subsequent demand for raw lumber.

He soon had orders for oak from several furniture companies in North Carolina. He quickly learned that the best markets for Appalachian oak was up north and he made inroads into those markets, providing top quality lumber for furniture makers. “Here I was shipping raw lumber from Henry County (Virginia) to Jamestown, New York, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, where factories converted that lumber into finished furniture to be shipped everywhere, including the South,” J.D. recalled. “It seemed to me that furniture certainly could be made in Henry County at a tremendous advantage.”

Bassett and his brothers laid out a plan, and in 1902 the Bassett Furniture Company was born. At first, the company had about 50 men, from farms and the surrounding hills, and focused on styles made of oak with simple profiles and carved overlays.

Early dressers sold for $4.75, washstands for $2.75 and beds for $1.50!

By 1917, Company sales reached $1 million. But family members had started new companies that ultimately competed with each other for sales. In 1930, a “house divided” meeting was called and the different companies were incorporated into Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., in 1931.

The post-war years brought rapid growth as large neighborhoods sprang up quickly around the country. In the early 1960s, the Company bought Prestige Furniture Corp. and added upholstery to its line up and acquired three other companies to expand its bedroom and dining room production.

Furniture markets began to shift in the 1990s and many “mom-and-pop” stores were closed as large store chains with “no-name” furniture were gaining a foothold. Seeing this trend, Bassett opened its first store in 1997.

Condition

Very good vintage condition, wear and distressing commensurate with age and use.

Dimensions

15" x 50" x 29.5"