Lee Industries

*Guest Blog from President Sackett Wood as he recalls his first meeting with Lee Industries and what an important moment it was for Moore & Giles. Time goes by so fast. When I reflect back on my early years with the company, I have vivid memories of the people who were willing to give us an opportunity. Dottie Coley, one of the original founders of Lee Industries and the Vice President of Merchandising, was one of those people for me. It took a little time but Mrs. Coley, knowing nothing about me or Moore & Giles, gave me an appointment and I was invited to their factory in Newton, North Carolina. It was 1997 - we had recently developed a new leather from Pamplona, Spain inspired by a vintage riding boot. The leather was full of rich tonal qualities, heavy in weight and firm in temper - certainly not a conventional upholstery leather at the time. It was, however, beautiful - and that little I knew. My meeting was with Dottie and her husband Bill Coley, who co-founded Lee in 1969 to "manufacture quality, American-made furniture that they would use in their home." I was worried the meeting would be brief because we only had a few other leathers to offer and when the silence became deafening after the first two showings of leather, I defaulted quickly to Plan B and pulled out the only large piece of the new Spanish leather that existed. We had aptly named it Equestrian. In what would become a signature trademark in my meetings with Lee in the years to come, as I began to speak about our inspiration for the leather, Mr. Coley got out of his chair and pulled the large piece away from the viewing horse without saying a word. As I kept presenting, he slowly and methodically began working the leather with his hands, manipulating it to the point that made it no longer recognizable as my sample. It was unnerving. I could barely watch as he continued to manhandle it. So I just kept talking and Mrs. Coley just smiled at me sensing my anxiety. When I finished, I sat there in what seemed like an eternity of silence until Mr. Coley, in his first words of the meeting said, "well, the factory's not going to like it, but its a beautiful piece of leather and I think we oughta buy it.” They named it Eyore. I was elated and also relieved. Dottie ordered 25 hides to show at the Spring 1998 Furniture Market and it made it through the factory just in time for High Point. When market was over, their purchasing director, Robin Bartles called me and said she was sending an order and to call Mrs. Coley upon receipt. If they had ordered 800 sq. ft. I would have been thrilled just to know it sold. When the order came over the fax it read “80,000 sq.ft..” I assumed was a mistake - truth be told, I was praying it was a mistake because we had only made the 25 hides in production. I called Mrs. Coley and thanked her for the order, but I told her I “think you may have one too many zeroes in your order amount.” She assured me that her zeroes were correct and in her calm, gentle manner, made it clear to me that this was not an opportunity to squander. It wasn't without a few hiccups, but the leather turned out beautifully and became one of our first successful introductions of a truly natural leather and validated our efforts to take a fashion approach to upholstery leather. There is a Lee chair in my office today covered in Eyore. It is a symbol to me, not only of an important chapter in our history, but, also of the kindness and graciousness of Dottie Coley who was willing to take a chance on us. Our leather meetings with Lee are very similar today with Dottie's oldest daughter, Ginny Collet, leading the creative effort of the company along with their Creative Director, Reine Cenac. And Bill Coley still sits in on our showings, which means so much to us. If Mr. Coley doesn't pull a piece of leather to work on during that showing, you are most likely not leaving with an order! The Lee Industries chair in Sackett's office - cover in "Eyore." When you call on Lee, you call on the family and we have come to know them as a family. Ginny's brother Billy works in sales for the company in Georgia and her sister-in- law Bondi Coley handles all their Marketing and PR. Bondi's husband, Norman Coley, Ginny's older brother, was previously Lee's President and died suddenly last year. Norman was an integral part of our relationship and a strong supporter of our efforts. He is missed by all of us. He was a true leader for Lee and for our industry. He was also a friend. Lee has always been willing to take chances and this remains a reoccurring theme - their ability to see the beauty and potential in the raw materials. Ginny often says “We go with what we love.” That was evident at the Spring 2015 Market as she and Reine took on a project that involved our new Valdesa Cigar shrunken sheepskin, using very small hides and marrying them with a compatible leather on smaller silhouettes that would accommodate the hide size. The photo speaks for itself. Their level of taste remains unmatched. Throughout their showroom we see risks and creativity meshed into beautiful completion- their style is elegant and tasteful. From matching Auckland Shearling chaises, bright red dining room chairs, a pair of comfortable Club chairs made in the leather named “Sackett Truffle”(couldn’t resist) and hair-on-hide ottomans, Lee continues to envision outside of what exists into what could be. Creativity in design is not hyper-focused and limited to one piece, but rather seen in correlation together to create beautiful environments and an accessible lifestyle. Over two decades later I am still impressed by their passion, creativity, craftsmanship and their unique ability to create furniture that we can immediately see using in our own homes. You can see it in mine. - SW Find out more about Lee here: https://www.leeindustries.com