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Furniture Industry Archives
Advertising ➔ Booklet, The Grand Rapids Market, Furniture Capital Of America, Bridging the Gap Between America's Workshops and its Homes
Identifier:
201121Description:
A booklet features the Mid-Winter Furniture Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Graphics on front cover show layers of city buildings and factories for a grandiose presentation, suite furniture, and a dining room setting, all in full color. Contents include a narrative written by the Grand Rapids Market Association, photographic images of exhibition buildings, a full listing of manufacturers exhibiting, manufacturers and their buyers who were attending, attendace numbers by state and year-by-year (from 1913-1923), and entertainment acts such as opera, motion pictures, and stage performancesDate:
January 1 – 19 1924Dimensions:
12.5" h 9.45" wCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of Museum PropertyExhibit/Program:
Furniture City (1994 – 2013)Furniture City was one of the signature core exhibits installed at the Grand Rapids Public Museum's new Van Andel Museum Center when it opened in 1994. At approximately 10,000 square feet, the exhibit occupied a significant portion of the museum's second floor and contained hundreds of pieces of Grand Rapids Furniture. The exhibition was accompanied by the authoritative book on the subject, "Grand Rapids Furniture", by GRPM curator Christian Carron. The Furniture City exhibit told a comprehensive story of the Furniture Industry in Grand Rapids, from its origins in the years after the Civil War, up to the present day with office and fixed seating manufacturers like Steelcase and American Seating. The exhibition was significantly reduced in size in 2013 to make room for a new gallery and was closed in 2019.
Related Entity:
Grand Rapids Market Association (creator)Alternate names: Grand Rapids Furniture Market Association
Successor to the Grand Rapids Association of Furniture Exhibitors. In the beginning the Grand Rapids Market Association's primary focus was to enlarge the market by bringing in more exhibitors and more buyers. They were responsible for coordinating the various activities that took place during the semi-annual Grand Rapids Furniture Market. They solicited funds and represented the interests of local manufacturers, exhibition buildings, civic groups, and out-of-town companies. Founding members of the Grand Rapids Market Association included Charles B. Kelsey as the first president, Elmer H. Grey, Fred W. Green and Charles R. Sligh as vice presidents, Minor S. Keeler as treasurer and C.B. Hamilton as secretary. Beginning in the early 1920s, the Association sponsored the National Retail Furniture Institute during the closing week of the Market. It provided educational courses on furniture design, manufacturing techniques, and retailing for Market attendees.
