Eustis Chair History
THE EVOLUTION OF EUSTIS CHAIR
Eustis Chair designs and manufactures the most durable hardwood chairs and barstools on the market today. Our company builds sustainable, stacking and non-stacking wooden chairs that last for decades. We have a rich history. Eustis Chair has built the highest quality wood chairs since our humble beginning in 1989. Every Eustis Chair is made in the USA in our cutting-edge factory. Eustis Chair is the product of two different companies, one on the East coast called Eustis Enterprises, and one on the West coast called Eustis Designs.
Eustis Enterprises, Inc.
In 1989, Bill Eustis founded Eustis Enterprises, Inc. The business started as a contract manufacturer for Stickley Furniture, where we built Mission and Craftsman style dining chairs. We earned Stickley Furniture’s business by making the highest quality chairs built with the best manufacturing techniques. In 2006, Stickley decided to manufacture their chairs overseas. Eustis Enterprises, Inc. built over 40,000 chairs for Stickley over the course of our 17-year business relationship.
Eustis Chair: On Our Own
In 1992, Harvard University commissioned Eustis Chair to build our own line of commercial-grade hardwood University chairs. We continued to design and manufacture new custom styles of wooden chairs for several different types of businesses. We eventually added college chairs, university chairs, boarding school chairs, preparatory school chairs, library chairs, chapel chairs, church chairs, country club chairs, and more to our ever-growing line. During these years, we continued to design custom chairs for signature spaces using our manufacturing expertise. In 1993, Bill’s son, Fred Eustis, decided to join the family business. In 1997, Fred purchased the company and grew Eustis Chair into the company we are today.
Revolutionary Chair Joinery: The Merging of Eustis Enterprises, Inc. and Eustis Designs
In 1999, Fred found out about Eustis Designs, a company run by his cousin, Bob Eustis. Bob developed and patented a revolutionary joinery system to make chair joints stronger. The joints are typically the weakest part of the chair, but his system makes them the strongest part of the chair.
Eustis Chair acquired the exclusive patent rights to the chair joint technology we now call the Eustis Joint®. It is the Eustis Joint® that allows us to build the most durable and highest stacking hardwood chairs on the market today. Our unique line of commercial-grade stacking armchairs and side chairs can be stacked up to 10 chairs high and comes with a remarkable 20-year warranty against joinery failure. The innovative Eustis Joint® makes our chairs ideal for high-use spaces at private clubs, restaurants, dining halls, libraries, churches, and more.
The Present and Future of Eustis Chair
In 2014, Fred Eustis met Brian Langhorst through a mutual family friend. At the time, Fred was starting to plan for retirement. Brian joined the company as the Sales Director, with plans to eventually purchase Eustis Chair from Fred. In 2018, Brian Langhorst purchased Eustis Chair. Brian plans to continue building the very best custom hardwood chairs and wooden bar stools in the USA for decades to come.