History
In The Making
Faith, family and a fondness for pioneering the future — that’s the untarnished foundation upon which Homestead Furniture was built. From its humble beginnings to the unprecedented collaboration of Homestead’s sister company, Abner Henry, with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founder Ernest Hershberger never imagined he’d achieve this level of success.
It all started in Holmes County more than 30 years ago when Hershberger and his wife, Barbara, who were engaged to be married at the time, started Homestead Furniture in her family’s converted chicken coop. The business entailed selling quality pieces made in North and South Carolina.
A third-generation woodcraftsman with a background in high- end custom kitchen cabinetry, Hershberger’s definition of service entailed giving the customer exactly what they wanted.
“We had brand-name furniture we were selling in our retail store, and customers wanted to be able to customize them,” he says. “So I drew them out and sent the purchase orders to where the furniture was made.”
