Ethan Allen Furniture Video
I am excited to share with you today some of the Questions and Answers related to one of the most popular furniture brands in America, Ethan Allen Furniture. Link to the video on Youtube Ethan Allen Furniture Video
Ethan Allen Furniture Company remains one of the most beloved Furniture brands in the country, and it has a long history.
Personally, I love Vintage Ethan Allen Furniture from years ago, as it usually shows incredible craftsmanship.
In this video, we will go over what made the company great, as well as answer some specific questions we have received on our blog regarding furniture giant and legend : Ethan Allen.
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So, now on to today’s video subject Ethan Allen Furniture Company.
Ethan Allen has its roots in the great state of Vermont.
Like Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, skiing, Maple syrup and other wonderful Vermont things, Ethan Allen has developed a special spot in the nation’s hearts and minds.
In fact, most people recognize and cherish the name Ethan Allen, but few know how old this company actually is!
You see, it all started with two brothers-in-law, Nathan C. Ancel and Theodore Baumritter, way back in 1930!
Nathan and Theodore saw an opportunity and decided to buy a company that had fallen on hard times, The Beecher Falls Furniture Company. The company was producing mostly solid maple wood furniture back in those days. The two brothers decided to buy up the small workshops and rename the company after the Revolutionary War Hero, Ethan Allen.
The name “Ethan Allen” was well suited for the furniture company. Afterall, from the 1930s through nearly 50 years of business the company focused on American Colonial styles.
Looking back on Early Colonial furniture, Ethan Allen made plenty of traditional furniture, and marketed their pieces as sturdy, functional and stylish.
As the baby boomer generation boomed, and bought and furnished houses, Ethan Allen represented a respectable, stylish and quality brand for American homes.
As mass produced furniture goes, it really is one of the best brands!
Our first question comes from Michael, I have my parents Ethan Allen Royal Charter Oak trestle dining tables and chairs. I believe it is dated 1976. It is the darker finish, before EA made the finish lighter in the early 1980’s. The table has a few light watermarks. Do you have advice how I can remove the marks without totally refinishing?
Hi Michael.
My best advice on the table is to try a product called “Restore-a-finish” by Howard’s.” (They make different color products but for darker finishes, I would suggest “Dark Walnut.”) You can use it with a soft rag, or a very fine steel wool (0000 grade is the best). Apply liberally and move in the direction of the grain. Then, you can finish with their beeswax product to help protect the table and finish. Again, buff on with a soft rag (an old tee-shirt works best).
Ellen writes,
I have two bedside tables with the Ethan Allen name stamped on the inside of the drawer. How can I find out more about the vintage and the wood used in these tables. They are very well used and I might consider having them refinished if they are worth the expense.
Hi, your end tables are most likely solid cherry or maple if they are Ethan Allen.
If you are handy enough to refinish your tables then of course redo them and enjoy them for years.
As far as whether it is worth the expense to refinish them, these are my thoughts: A refinisher would probably charge more for the work then finding a great set on the secondary market for sale and ready to go into your home. In rough condition at an auction we see them for $10 to $60 a pair, the restoration costs money.
A similar question from Sherry:
I have a drop-leaf dining room table that my folks bought when they were married 65 years ago. It says Ethan Allen by Baumritter Made in Vermont. Would you be able to tell me any history in this piece, what kind of wood it might be, and what it’s value might be? I was thinking about having it refinished. It would be quite a job! Would it be worth the cost to do that?
Much of the Vermont Ethan Allen furniture was Maple and Birch from the northern Vermont area, hard rock maple. The line was popular in the beginning of the 1970’s. The Baumritter line does not get much value at times at auction but sturdy useful furniture for sure, solid wood. If you love it and have someone inexpensive that can refinish for you then sure do it. If its expensive i would just look for a similar Ethan Allen table on the market and purchase that one.
Marcia wants to know:
I have my parents Ethan Allen Maple 4 poster frame (header and footer) purchased in 1942. It is in very good shape. What would be the value of these pieces?
In great condition and tight we sell a bed by Ethan Allen for about $600 online if its a queen, a full size bed is about $485. I have not seen your that’s just a rough estimate. Selling one online like Facebook or Craiglist you would expect to get maybe $150. At auction the beds again depending on condition would get between $50 and $400 depending on the audience. The auction house would probably charge you 25% to 50% commission. A consignment shop would sell an Ethan Allen bed between $250-$450 again depending on the size and condition. Expect to pay about 50% commission to the consignment shop for their work.
Debra writes:
When I shopped Ethan Allen in the 1980’s everything was cherrywood or mahogany or some other quality wood but now most pieces do not identify the wood and I noticed the items I purchased recently seem to be very soft wood. What year did they stop using the better woods?
Hi Deborah, great question. To stay competitive many quality furniture brands began importing many pieces of furniture and staining or finishing them in the USA starting in the 1980’s. The practice grew in the 90’s and the last 15 years the practice has grown out of control, even the stuff made in the USA is not usually very good.
Fine cabinet shops have been the last places of truly quality made american solid wood furniture. The prices of these shops would scare many consumers and they have been closing quite regularly.
Ethan Allen we notice has been using the tagline “Made in America” on some pieces and have introduced many imported pieces and they have also begun selling online direct to consumer to cut out the middlemen (furniture stores) in the hope of staying competitive.
When we look to purchase good quality wood furniture brands for our store the dates seem to end in the late 1990’s, overall we love the quality from late 19060 up to the mid 1980’s. Imported furniture is usually made of fast growing undried or aged wood. Old growth , slow growth wood is very desirable.