From Custom Upholstery to Commercial Seating

In 1987, Stewart Stoudemire and Charles Bandy began discussing new ideas about marketing and manufacturing upholstered furniture. They soon left Hickory Chair Company to pursue those ideas and thus began what is now a 20-year old enterprise, The Charles Stewart Company. Their commitment was to be a top supplier of high quality upholstery for interior designers. What began as two employees working long days and nights is now a thriving operation with more than 100 employees working in six buildings in all facets of upholstery production.

The Charles Stewart Company continues to grow and prosper today because of this original commitment to the design community. While selling residential custom upholstery for the interior design community, Charles Stewart has increasingly become a manufacturer of choice for commercial designers. By fully integrating their design, engineering, frame production, cut and sew, wood finishing and upholstery processes, the company maintains the flexibility to both custom design one chair for one client for a one time order and design and produce 200 pieces of contemporary office furniture for a large commercial client.

In 2007, it was decided to further expand the company’s offering by founding Charles Stewart Contract to better respond to this increased demand for commercial furnishings. Charles Stewart Contract offers a broad selection of seating options for the contract furniture market. The collections of well-coordinated lounge seating, guest chairs, benches, dining chairs, bar stools and classic executive sofas and desk chairs are ideal for corporate interiors as well as high-end hospitality and institutional environments. In addition, Charles Stewart Contract occupies its own facility thereby enhancing the company’s ability to custom produce furnishings to individual client specifications on deadline.