Ernest Thompson

At Ernest Thompson, buying local and caring for our environment go hand in hand.  As a local manufacturer of traditionally handmade wood furniture and wood cabinets, we are aware that our local manufacturing decisions impact not only our environmental quality of life, but our economy as well.

Every Ernest Thompson product is 100% Made in the USA.  Our solid wood furniture and custom wood cabinetry is handcrafted right here in our Albuquerque, New Mexico workshop. The twigs from our Sombraje collection of custom window shutters, valances, screens and furniture are hand harvested from the New Mexico bosque (riverside forest). Our St. Charles line of frameless steel cabinetry is built in Greenwood, Mississippi.  We think it’s important that we’ve resisted the recent manufacturing trend towards outsourcing our furniture overseas for manufacture.

But why is this important?

Honesty

Many companies marketing “American-made” products are regrettably less than honest about (otherwise known as “clever marketing”) the origin of their products.  The definition of “Made in the U.S.A.” for manufactured goods is vague, at best, much like the definition of a green product.  Oftentimes, “American” products are manufactured in China or other countries, then finished here in the United States.  Alternatively, wood used in manufacturing furniture is grown in the United States, but then is oftentimes shipped to foreign countries for cheap manufacture.  We don’t know the ins and outs of the manipulation of the “Made in USA” claim because we don’t need to.  We source our wood from groves here in the United States, and we build our products here in Albuquerque.  That’s all there is to it.

 

Economy

Many of our larger, national chain competitors are limited by profit-driven motives.  The benefits of outsourcing are just too tempting to many in the furniture industry – even if the benefits only truly “benefit” a few.  But the effects of outsourcing manufacturing jobs are far-reaching and damaging to the American economy, American families, and to the quality of the products we purchase for our homes.

Ernest Thompson does not send American wood to China or to any other foreign manufacturer to cheaply produce our product.  In addition to the fact that we love what we do – hand crafting furniture - we simply can’t participate because we don’t like the results:  cheaply produced and lower quality products, outsourced jobs going to underpaid, vulnerable foreign workers, and American dollars supporting foreign economic interests at a time when jobs and growth are so desperately needed here. 

The Ripple Effect of Buying Local

Have you ever stopping to think about how many people are impacted with the purchase of a single, American-made product?  It’s truly amazing.  Not only is a local Ernest Thompson product a great experience for our customers, who are able to participate in the design process and watch their custom creations come to life; equally as important, our custom furnishings operation is great for the local community and the national economy. To keep our workshop running, Ernest Thompson employs 25+ designers, salespeople, administrative professionals, operations managers, builders, wood carvers, Sombraje craftsmen and finish shop specialists.  By employing locally, we keep payroll dollars right here in our local community.  Our employees and their families, in turn, cycle valuable dollars back into the American economy.

But it doesn’t stop there.  As a small local business, Ernest Thompson isn’t forced to use foreign vendors and products specified by a large corporate office.  We are free to source our supplies and services from whoever we want – and Ernest Thompson is committed to supporting our local business partners wherever possible.  Ernest Thompson employs a wide array of accessory vendors.  We shop with a local provider for the hand-gathered twigs we use in the construction of our Sombraje shutters, screens and furnishings.  We employ local upholsterer Artistic Upholstery for specialty upholstery projects.  We source fabric and supplies from local supplier R&R Trim. We purchase many of our standard furniture hardware options from local hardware manufacturer Dimestore Cowboy.  Administratively, we use a local company for our printing and marketing needs.  We employ a local graphic designer, attorney, exterminator, tax preparer, heating and cooling company, landscaper, security service…the list goes on an on.

Every dollar you spend with Ernest Thompson helps to support each of these local businesses and their families.  Each of these American consumers spend money right here in America.  Conversely, every dollar spent on foreign manufactured furnishings goes primarily to support foreign economic interests and corporate executives. To bolter the development of local ventures here in Albuquerque, we maintain active membership in the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance.

At every turn, when faced when a buying decision, we remember our commitment to building and buying locally.

Considering our Environment

A while back, our production team met to discuss Ernest Thompson’s place within “green building” conversation.  In recent years, furniture, cabinetry, and construction companies have witnessed the emergence of any number of certifications, restrictions and standards geared towards regulating the environmental impact of these building industries.

What we found was that, costly certification or not, we’re a pretty eco-friendly company just the way we are.  From building non-disposable products designed to last for generations, to collecting sawdust for recycling in our master builder’s horse stall, we are naturally geared, as a small, local, traditional furniture manufacturer towards environmentally sensitive processes and practices.

Building in Knotty Alder:

Ernest Thompson’s standard wood for construction is a species called knotty alder.  We source this wood because our customers ask for it.  It has a beautiful grain, consistent coloring, character-building knots, and it’s incredibly durable, resisting nicks and dings common in softer woods.  It is also unbelievably prolific.  Knotty Alder was one of the last species to be added to the FSC’s family of certification products, and it continues to be one of the most abundant furniture grade wood species available.

From an article on the Forest Stewardship Council website:

“In the Pacific Northwest, Red Alder presents a prime example of how a species can move from relative obscurity to reach its market potential. Twenty years ago, Alder was viewed as a nuisance and had almost no value. Today it’s the second most valuable timber species in the Northwest, even out-pacing Douglas Fir. Cliff Chulos, President of North American Wood Products, an FSC certified distributor in Portland, was involved in the development of the Alder market. ‘It was clear that Alder was an undervalued and abundant species with great properties.’” http://www.fscus.org/news/archive.php?article=413&

While the standard knotty alder that we purchase is not certified by the FSC, we provide this option to all of our customers.  You may always opt to purchase an FSC certified wood product from Ernest Thompson Furniture. We choose not to purchase the certified product as our standard, because we choose not to inflate the cost of our product without your advisement and permission.  In many scenarios and for obvious reasons, FSC certified alder groves in the Pacific Northwest United States are located literally adjacent to their non-certified counterparts.  Considering the amazingly abundant nature of the species, we feel like we’re making the right choice for our customer and for the environment.

How Far is Your Wood Traveling?
As a local manufacturer of handmade furniture and cabinetry products, we are naturally more eco-friendly in our practices than our large, outsourcing competitors.  Our wood’s American origin, and the fact that we do not ship this wood overseas for manufacture like many of our competitors, greatly reduces the carbon footprint of our product.  Our wood travels from the Pacific Northwest to our workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it stays until the finished Ernest Thompson Original is delivered to your home or office.

Planned Obsolescence in Cabinetry and Furnishings
Planned obsolescence is a term in manufacturing that has begun to surface more repeatedly in recent years.  In a nutshell, planned obsolescence refers to products that are designed to have a short life span.  Products like cell phones, clothing, even some appliances are designed with the end of their life in store.

Furniture is definitely no exception to the Planned Obsolescence phenomenon.  Furniture designed and built along the Planned Obsolescence model is designed to lose its usefulness or appeal within a very short time.  Hence, we’ve seen the influx of particleboard and cheap veneers, and a proliferation of trendy furniture retailers, within the furniture market.

From the start of this trend, Ernest Thompson has incorporated it into our mission that we will never sacrifice our building practices, or the products we use, to accommodate a cheaper, less durable product.  We build each and every furniture piece out of solid wood.  Rather than using screws, glue and pegs, we build our frames with traditional mortise and tenon joinery.  Drawers and cabinet drawers are built to be inset, rather than to partially overlay the frame; this creates a far more durable, quality piece of furniture less susceptible to drawer face or door damage.  Our drawers are built with French dovetailing; this eliminates the problem of detatched drawer facing.  Whether it be an accent table or a dining room table, every one of our products is designed to outlive all of us.  Since our products are built out of solid wood, scratches and dings are easily repairable.  All it takes is steel wool and a bit of touch up stain, or paint.  Sometimes it just takes a furniture marker.

We build heirlooms, custom designed and thoughtfully styled to outlast trends and children and pets and all other factors that threaten their usefulness and value.  We think furniture can’t get more eco-friendly than this.

Sourcing a variety of species:

 

Just as eco-diversity is good for farmers, sourcing multiple types of wood is great for tree farmers, allowing them to manage their forests in a more holistic way.  For more information, visit the Forest Stewardship Council website, or read this article from their archives.  Ernest Thompson chooses knotty alder as it’s standard wood for construction; however, we give our clients the option to use a variety of beautiful furniture-grade wood species, including maple and wormy maple, pine, and walnut.

St. Charles Cabinetry – The Ultimate EcoCabinetry
When we were approached with the opportunity to represent the St. Charles collection of cabinetry, it was a no-brainer.  Because of the environmental benefits and contemporary styling of steel frameless cabinetry, in 2010 Ernest Thompson became New Mexcio’s sole authorized dealer for this iconic and truly green line of custom cabinetry.

St. Charles is an iconic American brand of cabinets that dates back to the 1930s.  It is manufactured in the USA, in Greenwood, Mississippi, alongside the world-renowned, American-made Viking family of appliances.  Here are just a few of St. Charles’ eco-friendly features:

• •St. Charles products are made from 70% recycled materials.
• •St. Charles products are a whopping 98% recyclable.
• •St. Charles’ 23 powdercoated finishes are both odorless and completely free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
• •St. Charles cabinets are non-porous and hypoallergenic.
• •St. Charles cabinets are pre-wired with energy efficient CFL lighting.