Thos. Moser is a handmade-furniture company in Maine, United States. Founded by Thomas and Mary Moser in 1972, in New Gloucester, Maine, it has grown from a one-couple operation to employing around seventy craftsmen.[1][2] Since 1987, the business has been based in Auburn, Maine, working out of a 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) workshop.[3] It has showrooms in Freeport, Maine; Washington, D.C.;[4] Boston, Massachusetts; and San Francisco, California.[1][3] It formerly had showrooms in New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[5]
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 A footstool from Thos. Moser's Crescent Series, made by Robert R. Ouellette in 2003 | |
| Industry | Furniture making |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 2, 1972 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Auburn, Maine, U.S. |
Number of locations | 4 |
Key people |
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| Owners | Aaron Moser |
Number of employees | 150 (approx.) |
| Website | www |
The company has designed and built furniture for the George W. Bush Presidential Center (in which it has fifty-five pieces),[6] the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and has made ceremonial seating for Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.[3][7]
History
editTom and Mary Moser established Thos. Moser on February 2, 1972.[3] The company's first advertisement, placed in Down East Magazine, read:[1]
Antiques are prized for their qualities of age, design and purity of craftsmanship. Our furniture is inspired by traditional design, constructed with pride and executed by hand, restoring a relationship between man and his practical art.
— Thos. Moser, Down East Magazine
Aaron Moser took over the business in 2017.[5][6][8]
In 2018, Thos. Moser collaborated with L.L.Bean to produce a limited-edition fly-tying desk.[9][10]
Tom Moser
editMoser was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1935. His father, Josef, was an Austrian immigrant. His mother died when Tom was fourteen; his father followed four years later.[11]
In 1957, his freshman year at college, he married Mary Wilson,[11] with whom he had four sons: Aaron, Andrew, David and Matthew.[1][6] The couple met when they were fourteen and twelve years old, respectively.[6]
Moser is a United States Air Force veteran,[6] having joined at the age of 18 after quitting high school. After serving four years in Greenland, he returned to his studies by attending the State University of New York. He went on to graduate school at the University of Michigan and at Cornell University, receiving a Doctor of Philosophy in speech communications.[11]
After moving to Maine in 1966, Moser became a professor of language and speech pathology at the University of Maine in Orono, firstly, then at Bates College in Lewiston.[6][11][12]
He wrote How to Build Shaker Furniture in 1977. He has also penned Windsor Chairmaking, Shop Drawings of American Furniture, Artistry in Wood and Legacy in Wood.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "History". Thos. Moser. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "Faces of Craft". Thos. Moser. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b c d "People & Business: April 20". Press Herald. 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "Thos. Moser is returning to Georgetown, but the furniture maker's showroom will look very different". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b "How Thos. Moser Has Successfully Scaled Its Craft-Oriented Business". Architectural Digest. 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Devaney, Robert (2015-05-11). "Tom Moser, Maine's Wizard of Wood". The Georgetowner. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b "Thomas Moser | Home Front". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Kurutz, Steven (2013-04-24). "How Does a Chair Look Presidential?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Skelton, Kathryn; Writer, Staff (2018-02-23). "Thos. Moser, L.L.Bean collaborate on luxury fly-tying desk". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "This is what a $12,500 fly tying desk looks like". Hatch Magazine - Fly Fishing, etc. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b c d Moser, Thomas F. (2015). Legacy in Wood. Down East Books. p. 11. ISBN 9781608936083.
- ^ Advertising, Down East (2022-12-02). "Marking a Maine Craft Milestone — With a Handmade Chair". Down East Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-14.