THINK :: Stickley Lives!

HOW HISTORICAL BRANDS ARE SUCCESSFULLY BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD

A brand is the symbolic embodiment of every piece of information or experience connected to a company, service, or product. Brands exist as a way for consumers to foster associations or certain expectations about a company and what it provides. Brands are born, they grow, they wane, and they die – just like living things. Once a brand goes through its life cycle and finally dies, it’s not often that it can come back and thrive as it once did. That being said, there have been cases where once popular brands have passed through their original life cycle only to be reborn and regain – or even surpass – their former popularity.

Some examples of these rejuvenated historical brands include Moleskine notebooks, the MG motor car, the Indian Motorcycle, and finally, the main subject of this piece, Stickley Mission furniture. Each of these brands experienced popular life cycles but ultimately went completely dormant. However, through several strategic moves, each was successfully, and perhaps unexpectedly, revitalized. Stickley Mission furniture is a perfect example of the ability of a strong brand to cheat its own death.

In the early part of the 20th century, Gustav Stickley was a leading figure in the American Arts & Crafts movement. As the editor of his periodical, The Craftsman, and through the creation of products like his line of “mission oak” furniture, he promoted the principled ideals of craftsmanship, simplicity, beauty, and usefulness. As the popularity of both the era’s philosophy and his rectilinear oak furniture increased, the Stickley brand name soared to national prominence. However, as with most things that go up, the fortunes of the Stickley company came crashing down. Poor business decisions and a waning interest in the progressive ideals of the Arts & Crafts movement after World War I lead to the demise of Gustav Stickley’s company and his line of “mission style” furniture in 1916.

It was only within the last 20 years, however, that the furniture brand that launched the Stickley’s into stardom was reissued. In April 1989, the modern-day L.& J.G. Stickley reissued 33 pieces of Mission-style furniture based on original historical designs. The timing was perfect, since there was renewed interest in the Arts & Crafts movement in general, and many of the original antique pieces of furniture from the era were commanding big bucks at auction. The response to the Stickley Mission furniture reissue from the public was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. In the years that followed, several pieces were added to the growing Mission collection, transforming this once-dead brand back into an American icon – one that has lasted longer in its reissue iteration than it did in its original.

Clearly, the Stickley Mission furniture collection is a brand success story. But what made this brand’s reissue succeed where others have failed? I believe the success is the result of three critical points:

1. It’s a Great Product.  Let’s face it, Stickley Mission furniture is an icon of American design. As revolutionary in its simplicity and quality of craftsmanship as it was 100 years ago, the modern furniture reissues still retain all of the same timeless attributes. People today are drawn to the craftsmanship, the warmth of natural wood, the solidness of the forms, and the perfection of its proportion and scale, just as consumers were drawn to the original brand.

2. It Had Great Timing.  In the late 1980s/early 1990s, there was an overwhelming amount of renewed interest in the Arts & Crafts movement. With Hollywood superstars like Barbara Streisand and Brad Pitt spending huge amounts at auction on antique pieces of Stickley furniture, not to mention major museum exhibitions exploring the ideas and output of the original movement, the general public was primed to embrace the Stickley company's reissue of their classic Mission brand. This modern-day Arts & Crafts revival has now found its niche among loyal consumers interested in principles, quality, and design. As a result, this revival has now lasted longer than the original movement and the Stickley brand is integrally linked as part of its successful longevity.

However, trying to reproduce great design and take advantage of great timing isn't necessarily the answer to reviving a deceased brand. In fact, it would be completely misguided to think in terms of "reproducing" at all. Why? Reproducing means trying to recreate what formally was. Trying to perfectly recreate the exact same manufacturing and finishing techniques of a product from 100 years ago is ultimately futile. Much of Gustav Stickley's antique furniture, while well designed and touted as of the highest quality, were actually not as well constructed as the reissued pieces of today. Pick up any modern Stickley catalog and you’ll find detailed descriptions of the construction techniques employed to make this reissued furniture some of the finest ever built. Additionally, 100 years ago, toxic ammonia fuming was used to create the dark finishes common on Stickley furniture. Today it would be irresponsible and inefficient to duplicate this process on a large-scale furniture production line. So to say Stickley's success is a result of duplicating the past is grossly incorrect and missing the point completely.

3. It's a Revival, Not a Reproduction.   As explained previously, reproducing the past is as impossible as reliving it – once it's gone, it's gone. However, the principles that guided Gustav Stickley in dreaming up his ideas and designing his products are as true today as they were 100 years ago – that's what timeless means. All great revivals strategically tap into a legacy brand's ideals (or spirit) and are then interpreted in such a way that forms a connection with modern audiences. Stickley picked up on the brand's principled ideas of craftsmanship, honesty of materials, and simple design; however, the collection pushes the quality standard further and concentrates on pieces that appeal to a modern demographic (like dining sets, living room sets, and bedroom sets.) Additionally, there are several pieces in the Stickley modern collection made exclusively for a modern audience. Such pieces include coffee tables and lazy boy-style Morris chair recliners. And while these modern pieces may never have existed in the original Stickley line, they are all made using the same attention to detail, design, and quality that embodies the "Stickley Spirit." While great design and perfect timing are important, it's reviving that same winning spirit that becomes the key factor in rebuilding a once successful brand.

Consumers are smart. They can recognize the honesty of interpretation, appreciate the quality of design and construction, and believe in and loyally support brands they see displaying a certain spirit of principle. Like the Stickley reissues, when a product has that spirit of principle, it transcends time and place and becomes part of the fabric of our collected cultural experience. That's what makes it timeless and that's what ultimately leads to success. pm

::L.& J.G. Stickley company
::Gustav Stickley by David M. Cathers
::Gustav Stickley: The Craftsman by Mary Ann Smith
::Stickley Style: Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition by David M. Cathers

Image copyright Stickley, Audi & Co.

Eric O'Malley is a co-founder and contributor to PrairieMod. He lives in the Little Red House, a Mid-Century Modern ranch in suburban Chicago. You can email him at eric@prairiemod.com

Comments

[Annie]

Thanks for the article on Stickley. As a recent owner of a 1920 Arts & Crafts bungalow, I quickly found my way to Stickley reissues and Harvey Ellis's designs. I have always been a stickler for quality and have sat or slept on the floor until I could afford the best. The workmanship on my Stickley furniture is often the topic of conversation, with guests turning the dining chairs over to look at the construction (no easy task as they are so darn heavy.) I often hear the comment, "So this is how real furniture is made."

Stickley has an historian who made an appearance in Houston. He is as wonderful and genuine as their furniture.

[Mike Trescott]

This article shares many good points about how the Stickley Mission collection was revived but, it portrays the company as going out of business after Gustav Stickley stopped producing his line in 1916. When in fact the Stickley company under the L.&J.G. Stickley name introduced their own line of mission pieces labeled Handcraft at the same time as Gustav's Mission Oak. When furniture taste changed the L.&J.G. Stickley company continued to prosper introducing American Colonial Furniture called the Cherry Valley Collection. They continued to offer collections that met with the popular styles of the times. Then with the resurggence in popularity in the late 80's they reintroduced the Mission collection combinig influences from both Stickley companies. Even today the company not only produces the Mission Collection but, also traditional and modern styles, along with leather and upholstery. Becoming one of the most respected furniture lines in the industry.

The historian mentioned in the previous comments is Mike Danial who gives seminars at various Stickley dealers throughout the US. (His next seminar is in Charlotte, NC on 6/26)

[Eric]

Mike, thanks for the extra clarification on which Stickley company went defunct and which one lived on, I appreciate it.

I had originally written a very long paragraph trying to explain all the Stickley brothers and their various companies, but figured it got too far away from the main point being made in the article.

I would encourage anyone interested in finding out more in-depth information about the various Stickley companies to pick up one of the various books mentioned at the end of the article.

Thanks for everyone's comments and keep them coming!