Шестое поколение семьи Clore продолжает 200-летнюю историю производства мебели в Вирджинии

Furniture business in Madison County has been crafting for 200 years MADISON COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) -A furniture business in the foothills of Madison County has been run by six generations of the same family for nearly 200 years, and some of its most recognizable work sits along the Lawn at the University of Virginia. Clore Furniture traces its roots to Moses Clore in 1830. The current building and factory was constructed by E.A. Clore in 1921. “This business was named for my great grandfather who was E.A. Clore,” said Troy Coppage, president of Clore Furniture. “I came here in December of 1984, it was part time during college and never left.” Coppage is the sixth generation of the Clore family to work for the business. The company has weathered fires and financial hardship over the decades. Fires in 1927 and 1930 set the business back, but First Lady Lou Henry Hoover helped E.A. Clore rebuild. Clore had built furniture for Hoover Park in Shenandoah National Park, sparking that relationship with the President and First lady. “Mrs. Hoover loaned my great grandfather some money to help rebuild after the fire,” Coppage said. “He sent her the money a few years later in a Christmas card and the check was never cashed. A Hoover historian came and he did indicate that Mrs. Hoover’s way of being philanthropic was to loan people money and never accept repayment. So we believe it was really a gift.” Clore still uses many of the same joinery techniques from the 1830s. Chair department foreman Roger Morris has been with the company since 1977. “You stick us out in the country like this and to still have made it for hundreds of years,” Morris said. That includes taking wood planks, soaking them in hot water to soften them, then bending them on a rack to dry to form the back of a chair. “I love to do something that’s different,” Morris said. “If somebody comes in and says ‘can you duplicate this chair?’ — oh, I think we can do something like that. It usually works out for us.” Some of Clore’s most recognizable pieces are the rocking chairs that line the Lawn at the University of Virginia. Each chair is made one at a time using traditional methods at the Madison County shop. “I had a peer last year who lived on the Lawn, and he told me that one of his fondest memories was actually sitting in the chair and watching the university wake up,” said Ava Wolsborn, a senior Lawn resident at UVA. “You get to appreciate the Rotunda and this UNESCO World Heritage Site for what it is. It really takes us back to the Jefferson era.” Clore Furniture will hold an open house on Sept. 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring music and factory tours. The public is welcome to attend. Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here. Copyright 2026 WVIR. All rights reserved.