Bassett To Close Surry Plant; 300 More Jobs Evaporate

Still more 'sucking sounds' of lost local manufacturing jobs. 'Ol Ross Perot knew exactly what he was talking about...

Everybody can't work at Rooms To Go selling Chinese furniture. BTW, I wonder how much US-made furniture Wal-Mart sells in their stores? Maybe they could open a Wal-Mart superstore in the old Bassett factory. How appropriate would that be?

Obviously, lots of 'patriotic' people really enjoy waving American flags made in China. Wake up, everybody — we're doing this to ourselves.

From the WSJ:

Bassett Furniture Industries Inc. said yesterday that it will close its plant on Sheep Farm Road near Mount Airy by the end of November. The furniture manufacturer, based in Bassett, Va., said it is cutting 300 jobs, or 15 percent of its total work force, with the closing of the 540,000-square-foot plant. The employees will be laid off in phases as production winds down, said Jay Moore, the communications director for Bassett.
Bassett makes wooden bedroom furniture at the plant. Bedroom furniture has been one of the most vulnerable furniture categories to lower-cost Asian imports because it is labor-intensive.
"During 2005, like most of the U.S. furniture industry, Bassett has continued to experience a shift in demand from its domestically produced wood products to imported wood products," the company said in a statement.