Meganne Wecker, a true unicorn
Meganne Wecker truly is a one-of-a-kind. It is rare for furniture companies to manufacture in the United States. This is especially true outside of North Carolina. Fewer companies are owned by women executives. But that’s what makes Meganne Wecker a true unicorn. Skyline Furniture Manufacturing is her brand, founded by her grandfather. Cloth and Company is another business she started. She is now the president and chief creativity officer.
Skyline is sold by a range of retailers from Target to Lulu and Georgia and Crate & Barrel. On the other hand, Cloth and Company is known for textile design and has collaborated with brands such as John Robshaw, Red From Scalamandré, Rifle Paper Company, and Gray Malin.
Skyline Furniture manufactures Rifle Paper Company furniture
Wecker spoke to me recently about her career, how it helped both brands to evolve and what the biggest challenges are in the furniture business right now. She also talked about the benefits of domestic production.
Amanda Lauren: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome in your career?
Meganne Wecker: People underestimated my potential in the furniture business early in my career. We were a Chicago manufacturer and very focused on dropshipped made-to-order upholstery via the catalog industry which wasn’t seen as disruptive. Because we were so new to the industry, they didn’t see me as a competitor. As a young woman, I couldn’t do anything that would disrupt the industry. Although my Dad has been there for me, I have had the to face the old boys that were running the furniture manufacturing business.
I was in my 20’s coming out of college. My dad encouraged me to design what I wanted. So I designed all the furniture I wanted for my first Chicago apartment. Those were the pictures that we put up on Target’s website. The target website was popular with younger generations, so there was some serendipity involved in being at the right time and in the right place. This really helped to grow our business. We grew in and out five factories over seven year.
We saw a shift in consumer spending after I started the business. Since we were already a made to order manufacturer, our manufacturing and supply chain was easy to transfer to e-commerce. We were one of the pioneers in e-commerce. In fact, we sold a new channel to the market that no one else understood.
We are now at the point where e-commerce is so important. We’ve had the past twelve years to grow and learn and grow with it. We have a competitive edge in manufacturing today because we have all this knowledge.
Lauren: How did Skyline Furniture become a reality?
Wecker: My grandfather, Skyline, was founded in Chicago in 1946 by my Grandfather. Here was furniture manufacturing. [at the time]. The industry moved to North Carolina. He didn’t want the move. Direct mail catalogs were also centrally located in Chicago around that time. There were three major catalog companies that had headquarters in Chicago: Montgomery Ward, Spiegel, Sears and Montgomery Ward. So we shifted and started to manufacture for this channel.
As ecommerce began to emerge, many of the catalog direct mail companies were among the first to move into ecommerce.
While it was a brand new platform, it was the same business model. Customers could order it online instead of calling in. We would accept the order, make it, and then ship it to the customer.
Digital printing at the factory
Lauren: What has digital printing done for the business?
Wecker: Digital printing technology was first introduced to the home in 2006. And it’s the same digital technology that Zara and H&M built their businesses off of for fast fashion.
Cloth and Company was akin to a design studio where we do all of the textile design. All of our collaborations are housed there. Cloth and Company takes a strong design approach. Our website is available directly to the trade, and we also have brand pages for certain retailers.
Lauren: How would you describe the brand’s aesthetic?
Wecker: We are focused on the market and where sales are occurring. The pendulum swings a bit on that. When I started the business, it was all traditional florals and skirts on furniture. Then it became a bit more modern and mid-century. You can just watch it go through each year.
It’s also what’s happening in the industry right now. There’s a lack of print and pattern, which is another reason why we’re so excited about the Rifle Paper Company’s launch with Birch Lane and Red From Scalamandre. These collaborations were exciting and fun because of their vibrant colors.
Red From Scalamandré Zebra Pillow
Lauren: What are the top design trends for 2023?
Wecker: I believe that people seek out brighter colors and patterns in times of recession and depression. These will surely start to boom, according to me.
Lauren: While a lot of the major supply chain issues that occurred during the height of the pandemic have dissipated and digital printing has helped some businesses get around that—there are still some issues. For example, while lead times aren’t excessively long and there’s a good inventory to choose from, that doesn’t necessarily every customer will get their first choice of a product whether they’re buying a sofa, chair, or bed. Skyline and Cloth and Company are facing supply chain challenges.
Wecker: Digital printing makes it possible to print any material on demand, which is a great advantage. In the past three year, we have made every effort to move as many of our raw materials back into the United States. We have moved all our metal from China to Michigan. We are now working to bring all of our fabric to the United States.
The fact that we moved so many times from China to be back onshore really helped us keep in the supply of everything we needed over the past year.
Lauren: How has domestic sourcing influenced your numbers?
Wecker: We continue to see significant growth. We were up 30 percent year over year—2020 to 2021. Then, we will close 2022 with a 25 percent increase.
Lauren: What is it like being a leader in a price point that’s attainable yet has a high-end aesthetic?
Wecker: While we are a significant step above the mass market, we also offer a competitive price point for specialty markets. It’s very strategic on our part because it reaches a broad range of customers. It is a great way to reach younger customers, whether they are just starting out in school or those who have more money and want furniture that reflects a current trend. They don’t want to commit but still want quality and style. It also allows us to work with many different retailers.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and condensed.