In the 1920s, two cousins, Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker, set out to achieve the American Dream. Working 16-hours days, the two “Eds” toiled away building furniture and pouring every penny back into the business. Taking home a weekly salary of $5, the Eds were unable to obtain bank financing, but family and friends were quick to offer monetary support.

In 1928, the two Eds designed the first chair for “nature’s way of relaxing.” The first upholstered recliner appeared a year later and the recliner received its first patent in 1929.

Throughout the years, La-Z-Boy Recliners continued to flourish regardless of what was happening in the rest of the country and world. The company expanded and the town of Monroe blossomed. The patent kept competitors and copycats from effectively competing and changing styles and trends kept the designs at La-Z-Boy coming with each new decade.

In fact, what was once a “man’s chair,” suddenly found itself with a partner chair as advertising for “the most comfortable part of HER day” as well as the introduction of a Sofette (for quality couple time) hit the newspapers.

From 1961 to 1971, sales grew from $1.1M to $52.7M. In 1972, La-Z-Boy went public.

In 1983, La-Z-Boy Furniture expanded beyond the “motion” furniture and introduced stationary sofas. Today, La-Z-Boy chairs can be found to do anything—rock, swivel, glide and lift. And some of their chairs include storage, massage and heat functions, phones, modem hook-ups and thermo-electric compartments to keep your drinks cool. What could they possibly think of next?

La-Z-Boy is also the parent company of such furniture companies as Kincaid Furniture, Hammary, England/Corsair, Centurion, Bauhaus USA, Sam Moore, Pennsylvania Houses, American Drew, Clayton Marcus, etc.

What’s New at La-Z-Boy Furniture

La-Z-Boy has just introduced their outdoor furniture. With the Whitley, Graham and Alexander collections to choose from, you can take the comfort features of a La-Z-Boy recliner and other fixed furniture and add in the durability of outdoor furniture to create an outdoor room that is both comfortable and inviting. Built using all-weather materials that are rustproof and quick-drying cushions made of durable fabric, who knows, you might not want to keep these outside. For more information on La-Z-Boy’s outdoor collection, visit www.lazboyoutdoor.com.

Retail Information

To find a La-Z-Boy Gallery near you, visit http://www.la-z-boy.com/ and enter your zip code in the box next to Find a Dealer. To get you started, check out some of La-Z-Boy’s furniture, but nothing is as good as trying out a La-Z-Boy recliner for yourself.