Karges Furniture
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Karges Furniture is a family-owned furniture company based in Evansville, Indiana. The company manufactures custom high-end furniture which is sold mostly to designers through wholesale showrooms. All of the company's furniture is hand-crafted in Evansville.
History
In 1886, Albert F. Karges, a first-generation German immigrant, invested $600 and began making moderately priced bedroom furniture of solid oak and walnut. At that time, the river port town of Evansville, Indiana was one of the largest hardwood furniture manufacturing centers in the world.
The company prospered through the turn of the century and Albert's son, Edwin F. Karges, Sr., joined the family business after World War I. He had an interest in European designs and traveled extensively in an effort to learn more about the old-world styles. Soon, the Karges line took on a more classic look and began separating itself from its competitors as he began to develop his own ideas.
After World War II, Edwin's son, Edwin F. Karges, Jr., joined the business. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Wood Technology, and his knowledge and skill in wood finishing provided the groundwork for developing the Karges finishing process. Over the years all four of the Karges children have been involved in the business. Joan Karges Rogier, now President, worked alongside her father and represents the fourth generation of leadership.
Karges was acquired by Kindel Furniture Inc. on April 30, 2014. Like Karges, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Kindel makes high-end, handcrafted furniture and is more than a century old. Kindel said it plans to invest in the Karges brand and continue the tradition of craftsmanship carried forth by five generations of Karges family ownership. Gretchen Keith, the great-great-granddaughter of company founder Albert Karges, plans to join Kindel as vice president of marketing and sales.[1]
