Albert Stickley of Grand Rapids
The Stickley Brothers Company was founded by Albert Stickley and brother Leopold in Grand Rapids, Michigan in1891. The firm also had a showroom and factories in England around this time, and it is felt that they were the first of the Stickley-owned companies to introduce Arts & Crafts furniture to the United States.
Along with most of the major furniture manufacturers from the US and abroad, Stickley Brothers Company participated in the annual furniture trade fairs which took place in Grand Rapids in the fall. Their most interesting furniture designs had an English look about them, and it is likely that the company both manufactured for the English market and imported those same designs into the United States to appeal to an increasingly sophisticated clientele. Stickley Brothers introduced inlaid furniture in about 1901, two years before Harvey Ellis introduced it to older brother Gustav Stickley’s line, but it appears that the Stickley Brother’s inlay work was sub-contracted to another Grand Rapids firm, T.A. Conti & Company, who’s senior member won medals worldwide for his work. He remained with Stickley Brothers from 1895-1903.