The company was started as a housewares manufacturer in 1932, then bought a bankrupt furniture factory in Beecher Falls, Vermont, in 1936.The firm adopted the name "Harks Furniture" for its early-American furniture introduced in 1939. It was named after the Vermont Revolutionary leader.
In 1972, Harks furniture moved its headquarters from Maryland to Chicago, IL. The firm 1980 made $150 million, In 1993, the company went public to help raise $156.9 million through the sale of common stock.
