“If it’s in our store and it’s a piece of furniture, it’s American-made,” says Ed Smith, owner of Chariho Furniture. “It also has to be solid wood, and it has to be customizable.”

Ed’s enthusiasm for his products is obvious. Why only American-made? He smiles. “You know, it’s something I’m passionate about. I own a Harley Davidson motorcycle, I drive a Cadillac, my pickup truck is a GMC. If I can buy sports coats that are made in America, I will pay the extra dollars to do that,” he says.

His expression becomes more serious. “It helps the economy. It helps jobs. When we sell something, we put people to work—I also think it’s more environmentally sound.” He mentions that 70% of the wood products sold in America are made in China. “Too many things aren’t regulated,” says Ed.

A quick glance around the main floor of the 25,000 square foot showroom proves that American-made furniture is, indeed, alive and well at Chariho Furniture in Richmond, Rhode Island. One of Ed’s biggest accomplishments is having the largest inventory of D.R. Dimes historically-correct reproductions. Near the front entrance, a magnificent desk sports a price tag of $19,000 and, recently, Facebook headquarters purchased 25 American Windsor chairs for the corporate offices in California.

Ed places his hand on a four-inch-thick catalog at the corner of his desk. “We also carry Harden, the oldest furniture manufacturer in the U.S. They just built a cherry conference table for the White House. We also have 32 Amish brands, most of them from Holmes County, Ohio. We pull trailers out of Millersburg every week.”

A native Rhode Islander, Ed Smith made it to where he is through a series of serendipitous turns. He shakes his head. “When I was 19 years old, I was working for Electric Boat as an outside machinist. After two years, I realized I didn’t like grease, so I took a job delivering furniture to make ends meet.” That furniture store closed down and Ed discovered he really loved the business. “I didn’t know anything about furniture, except that I was delivering it,” he says. “And I’d been married about six weeks and was suddenly out of a job.”

The combination of some wedding money, plus a loan, a supportive wife, and parents who ran the warehouse and office set the wheels in motion for the furniture store he dreamed of. With each year, Ed and his family grew the business, stepping up to the next level of quality with a future goal to have a store that was 100% stocked with American-made products.

Ed looks thoughtful. “When I went into business, there were two stores that I wanted to emulate. The Marlborough Country Barn — I loved that store and they’re gone. Then last year, Baker’s Furniture in Stafford Springs closed. They were the oldest in the U.S.”

Asked what he’s doing differently in order to stay at the top, he answers emphatically. “The Internet. That’s what happened to those businesses, they didn’t get into the social media stream and people couldn’t find them. The Internet is fabulous! That’s how Facebook found us to buy the D.R. Dimes chairs,” he says.

What’s up Chariho’s sleeve for the future? The company now employs four full-time interior designers to help customers make decorating decisions. These professionals go to a customer’s home, do the measuring, put together floor plans, make suggestions on fabrics, finishes, traffic flow, and colors. Ed plans to expand the interior design portion of the business over the next decade.

“It’s an absolute win-win for the customer,” he says. “When you put a new sofa into a room, but the chairs are old and the end tables don’t match and the area rug is the wrong color — we can go in and make that into a room you’ll love.”

Why is Chariho Furniture unique? Ed doesn’t hesitate. “We’re in your back yard, we have good designers and one hundred American-made brands. You can draw your dream on a napkin and we’ll get it made for you.”

How much better could it get?

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Chariho Furniture is located at 10 Richmond Townhouse Road, at the junction of Routes 112 and 138. Visit from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., or call 401-539-9043 for more information. Details on specific brands and styles for both indoor and outdoor furnishings can be found online at www.charihofurniture.com.