The History of Ethan Allen

In 1932, Nat Ancell and Ted Baumritter founded a housewares sales agency. They sold plaster gnomes, trellises, and garden swings, but didn’t manufacture any of their own wares. So in 1935, they purchased a bankrupt sawmill in Vermont for $25,000 and started manufacturing their own products — home furnishings. At the 1939 Chicago Housewares Show, they debuted a 28-piece furniture line. All of the pieces were in the colonial style and the line was named after an American historical figure born in Vermont: Ethan Allen. In the 1940s, Ancell and Baumritter transitioned away from one-and-done furniture showcases and created “open stock” furniture in which new pieces were designed to work with older ones, including discontinued lines. The company grew rapidly in the 1950s and operations were expanded to include 3 sawmills and 11 manufacturing plants. When the millionth piece of furniture was created — a solid maple chest — it was presented to President Eisenhower. In 1969, the company name was officially changed to Ethan Allen and the newly renamed furniture company began marketing directly to consumers rather than to furniture retailers. In the 1970s, the Ethan Allen Showcase Gallery concept gave independent furniture dealers a recognizable storefront and the support of the Ethan Allen name; the concept also emphasized the company’s now-famous complimentary design service. While serving as Chairman, President, and CEO, Farooq Kathwari briefly took the company private in 1989, but Ethan Allen returned to the New York Stock Exchange in the late 1990s. In the interim, the company reinvented its entire furniture line, notably moving away from its colonial heritage by incorporating some fresher design styles. Throughout the 2000s, Ethan Allen continued to make roughly 75% of its products in North American workshops. Today, Ethan Allen remains a popular furniture retailer.