Abstract
The office furniture business in West Michigan has been going through the second major postwar slump in its history. The first slump was in the 1950s when America's furniture makers challenged the leadership of West Michigan furniture business by migrating to North Carolina. At the time, the effects on the West Michigan economy were mitigated through diversification, innovation, and niche markets strategies. The effects of the current slump have been far more devastating; more than 100,000 furniture-making jobs have been lost in the U.S. The larger firms have faced far more difficulties, though many smaller ones, such as John Widdicomb — the oldest area furniture business — have even gone out of business.
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