In 1862 you could hear the whistle of the train and smell the sawdust in the air as furniture companies were springing up on every corner in Grand Rapids. Newly arrived immigrants, settlers from the eastern seaboard and young Grand Rapids men were ready to work hard to make their success in the burgeoning new industry.

Charles Sligh was 12 and started working for Berkey & Gay, the leading furniture manufacturer of its day, first on the shop floor and ultimately as a road salesman traveling to all parts of the United States. In 1880 he started Sligh and dared not dream what the company would become or how long it would last. While Sligh factories, products and people have changed many times since then, there is one thing that never changes: every product is designed and made with an enormous amount of pleasure and pride.