Classic Leather was founded in the mid-sixties by Thomas Shores Sr with a focus from day one at providing fine, high quality leather furniture to the masses. A shift in mindset over the years has led to the company offering its leather furniture at a lower price point than some of the premium based leather furniture companies. Â
Based on my research, Classic Leather is a very good option for more budget minded customers. The leather quality is good and each sofa is custom made at their manufacturing facility in North Carolina. The price point is on par with other more value based USA manufacturers, such as Bradington-Young. Â
Classic Leather was also named to our list of the Top Overall Leather Furniture Brands.Â
In this piece, I dive deeper into the Classic Leather company, providing more information on their leather furniture and whether consumers should consider it for purchase.
If you have any experience with Classic Leather furniture, please leave a comment below or feel free to email me personally at tom@bestleathercouches.com
Summary:
The oldest US based leather furniture manufacturer with a focus on mid-tier quality at a lower price point in comparison to peers. Classic Leather is family and employee owned, with over 280 skilled craftspeople working to custom make each piece of leather furniture. A recommended option for value based consumers seeking high quality, handcrafted leather furniture.
Key Features:
overallÂ
Quality
Value
Warranty
Reviews
What's The Background Of Classic Leather?
Classic Leather was founded in the mid-sixties by Thomas Shores Sr with a focus from day one at providing fine, high quality leather furniture to the masses. The founders of Hancock & Moore actually used to work at Classic Leather, but left to start their own firm. The reason? Apparently they weren't happy with Classic Leather's focus on lower priced, inferior quality furniture.Â
And although Hancock & Moore in terms of quality is a better product than Classic Leather, I do still believe that the lower price point of Classic's furniture is a good fit for more budget minded customers.
Today, the business is still family run, with the son of Thomas Shores Sr, Tommy Shores now the CEO of the business.Â
All of Classic Leather's furniture is hand crafted in its North Carolina based manufacturing facility.Â
Is Classic Leather Legit?
Classic Leather is the oldest US based leather furniture manufacturer. Â Based in the US leather capital of the world - North Carolina, the company has been hand crafting leather furniture since the late 1960s.Â
While its leather furniture is manufactured here in the US (North Carolina), its leathers and other materials are sourced from across the globe, including China, which is a similar story to all of the other US based leather furniture companies.Â
Classic Leather does not sell direct to consumer, but instead works through authorized furniture retailers.Â
I find it almost amazing that even after nearly 60 years in business, Classic Leather does not have one compliant with the Better Business Bureau.Â
Where Does Classic Leather Make Its Furniture?
Classic Leather's furniture is manufactured at their manufacturing facility in Hickory, North Carolina. Each furniture piece is hand crafted, with experts responsible for frame construction, leather assembly, and upholstery.Â
Classic Leather uses an eight way hand tied spring system, which is just one example of the fine craftsmanship that goes into producing each piece. Notably, the critics will point to the fact that Classic Leather uses plywoods (instead of hardwoods on its frames) which helps reduce to the overall costs of manufacturing.Â
Over 280 craftspeople work at their main plant in Hickory, North Carolina. Classic Leather notes that it takes, on average, 28 people to build a leather sofa at their facility.Â
Classic Leather vs Hancock & Moore - Which Is Better?
On average, Classic Leather sofas tend to sell at a 15-20% and more discount versus Hancock & Moore, making their leather sofas a fantastic value for consumers looking to save a little bit of money, yet at a slightly lower quality.
The notable differences between Hancock & Moore and Classic Leather are in regards to materials - Hancock & Moore tends to use higher cost materials, notably solid maple wood for the frame construction, whereas Classic Leather uses plywoods.Â
What Sort Of Leather Does Classic Leather Use?
Classic Leather notes that it uses only top-grain leathers, and never any splits (this is good). They offer over 160 different leathers that are sourced from across the globe, including China, Italy and South America.Â
What Do Customers Say About Classic Leather?
Classic Leather has a whole host of positive reviews on its website, but as I've noted before, I don't tend to put a lot of faith in reviews hosted by a brand or manufacturer website.Â
I did find a good number of reviews on their Facebook page, which are much tougher to manipulate and overall the reviews are quite good. One example:
I purchased my Classic leather sofa more than 10 years ago. I could not believe that I was able to replace the old worn out cushions with the new ones. My sofa now look like new. Their customer service is unbelievable, thanks to Ms. Kim Long for making such efforts to find leather that matches.
In addition, another 9 positive reviews on Google...another example...although notably both of these are not current reviews..so please, if you have a Classic Leather sofa, please let us know of your experience in the comments section below.
During these crazy times (April, 2020) I must salute the fine workmanship of Classic Leather. I purchased my leather couch, chair, and ottoman in 1995! It still looks great, leather is aging beautifully, style looks classic. Guests can't believe it how old it is. Worth the investment.
What Sort Of Warranty Does Classic Leather Offer?
Classic Leather offers a ten-year warranty on frame, spring units and tailoring, while offering a three-year warranty on cushioning, and a five-year warranty on any mechanical parts.Â
Like nearly any other US based furniture manufacturer, they are not providing a warranty on any damaged leather, unless it is defective out of the warehouse, or damaged in transit.Â
Do you have any experience with a Classic Leather sofa, good or bad?
Please let us know in the comments section below.Â
Ordered two Classic leather chairs from Furnitureland South last spring. Received one of the chairs with ottoman several months ago (recliner still backordered). The chair looked fine when delivered, but shortly afterward I noticed that the seat cushion was very uncomfortable. It felt like I was sitting in a hole. The leather wrinkled and remained so. Furnitureland South had a new cushion semt to my home and a local furniture repair company sent a service person out to fit it into the leather cover. Shortly after, it was evident that the same problem surfaced. I've been given no explanation as to why this happened again. I'm only 125 pounds and it feels as if I'm sitting in a hole when sitting in the chair. The service person who fitted the new cushion told me that the springs sometimes twist out of position. But it seems unreasonable to think that same problem would happen twice. Naturally I'm concerned about what to expect from the recliner once it's delivered.
Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
Hey Shirlee, my advice would be to go straight to the source—get in touch with Classic Leather. They have good customer support and it sounds like they might have sold you a defective product. I’ve found for most companies nowadays, getting in touch on social media is a lot more effective. Here is the link to their Facebook page, I’d try messaging them there: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicLeatherInc good luck, please report back and let me know what happens! Tom