Dear Ray,

Please permit me the opportunity to piggyback on the comments made by my friendly competitor, Mr. Roger Berkeley of Weave Corporation.

The demise of Joan and Quaker is, indeed, unfortunate for the thousands of employees that were thrown out of work.  When American manufacturing companies try and compete with third world companies merely on price, everyone loses.  In this country, the good old US of A, there are still manufacturing entities in every industry, including textiles, that are not only surviving, but thriving, because they offer their discerning customers a lot more than just price.

The eight upholstery manufacturers that comprise the National Textile Association Upholstery Fabrics Committee are all committed to protecting the intellectual property of the designs they work so hard to create on a collaborative basis with their clients.  This, combined with maniacal attention to detail in design, color consistency from delivery to delivery, quality assurance, on-time delivery, the ability to be flexible and accommodate customers changing delivery requirements, and last, but certainly not least, an environmentally friendly perspective, makes us, the members of the Upholstery Committee, a value by any sense of the word.  With the design studios each of us maintains, we can assure all our customers individual design distinction.  This is not achievable in a mass market “Made in China” mentality. 

We encourage all American furniture manufacturers to look first in their own backyard before raising their horizons over the seas, as not just selling on price will add to their bottom line!      

Best Regards,

Irwin Gasner

Wearbest Sil-Tex Mills, Ltd.

325 Midland Avenue

Garfield, NJ 07026

973-340-8844, ext. 2

igasner@wearbest.com