By Sherry Moeller
Photos courtesy of Thos. Moser
In 1972, Tom and Mary Moser decided to walk into an uncertain future together by starting Thos. Moser, www.thosmoser.com. “We had no particular reason to believe we could succeed, but I had to make things out of wood. It was as simple as that,” says Tom Moser, Founder, Thos. Moser, Handmade American Furniture, who left a position as a Bates College professor to start the company, along with his wife Mary.
Over the past 50 years, Thos. Moser has designed and built furniture for Popes, US Presidents and CEOs, as well as corporate offices, schools, libraries, and museums, and mostly for residences across the US. This year the brand celebrates its 50th anniversary, and continues to have a loyal following of collectors, as well as new customers, including millennials looking for sustainable solutions.
“In the 50 years since our start, much has changed in the world,” adds Aaron Moser, one of Tom and Mary’s sons who is chairman of Thos. Moser. “And while time has encouraged us to adapt, our values have not wavered. The way we pursue craft at Thos. Moser and the principles that guide us are as fundamental today as when we started.”
Hands-On Workshop – With showrooms in Washington, DC, Boston, Freeport, Maine, and San Francisco, Thos. Moser offers four stops from coast to coast to see its furniture up close. In addition, it also offers an opportunity to build a piece of furniture yourself with its Customer In Residence program in its workshop in Auburn, Maine. Launched in 2007, the program attracts people from all types of professions to spend a week in the workshop alongside Thos. Moser artisans to learn woodworking techniques and pride of craft – resulting in a piece of furniture that you can say you built yourself.
Faces of Craft – The staying power and the true backbone of the brand for the past 50 years has been the dedicated team of artisans who have made it their life’s work to create handmade sustainable furniture for generations to come.Since 1987, Thos. Moser has operated out of a 90,000-square-foot workshop in Auburn, Maine with nearly 70 craftsmen and craftswomen—14 of whom have been with the company since the 1980s and 15 since the 1990s.
“My debt is to the craftsmen who make our furniture. They are Thos. Moser.” – Tom Moser
Iconic Thos. Moser Pieces Through the Decades
Resurgence of Heirloom Furniture – The global pandemic has forced consumers to slow down, consider what they are bringing into their homes, and create a space that we can feel good about. This “slowing down” moment in history is a recipe for success for an American business, crafting with materials grown in the US and creating handmade, modern-day heirlooms. Heirloom furniture, such as Thos. Moser’s, recalls an era of pride in workmanship and a necessity to make things that would last. In age, these pieces look as good and relevant as they were when first purchased.
Sustainability – Thos. Moser likens its strong root system of family, partners, colleagues, and customers to that of the American Black Cherry tree, which they harvest in the Allegany Plateau to make much of their sustainable furniture, along with walnut from the Missouri riverbanks.
Lessons Learned Through the Years – In Their Words – “Our biggest business lesson: it’s all about relationships. The relationships we have made over the past 50 years, and continue to cultivate, have been our best business asset. Our community of craftspeople and customers is the driving force of what makes Thos. Moser, and our furniture, something truly unique.”
For more information about Thos. Moser, Handmade American Furniture, visit www.thosmoser.com.
