ARTICLES ABOUT NHFMA

The New Patronage System
Washington Post
Steve Dryden

Finding Buyers for Hand-Built Furniture

Making furniture by hand is a solitary pursuit that can take months to produce one finely crafted chair or table. The artisans often use l8th-century methods but still must cope with the costs of a late-20th- century economy, inevitably raising the question of how to make a decent living.

In New Hampshire, a group of leading furniture makers has met this challenge by developing a patron system that is attracting national attention to the members while boosting their income.

The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Associations held its third annual auction in September with the highest bid of $14,000 going for a mahogany secretary based on a Sheraton-style piece at Winterthur. The present-day artisan, William Thomas, an award-winning interpreter of classical design, would never have to worry about starving.

Still, he said, "I was blown away, just being given the opportunity to build it. The original is one of my most favorite pieces in the world."

The patron procedure works this way: A buyer interested in the work of a certain member agrees to pay a fixed price for a custom-designed piece of furniture. The piece is shown at the group's next exhibition and put on the auction block with the understanding that if it garners a higher price, the maker will produce a similar piece for the patron at the original price. The arrangement guarantees the sale of the member's work, often raising the market value of the furniture at the same time.

Terry Moore, a founder and current chairman of the New Hampshire association, said of this year's auction: "Financially, I did super. And this past year, I've had more work than I've ever had in my life."

Moore's six-drawer dresser went for $7,200, while a round occasional table fetched $5,200.

The buying atmosphere at the auction apparently was chilled a bit by the volatile stock market of

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