Old Hickory Furniture Co.

• Author: Mengle, Rev
• Position: Company Profile

Old Hickory Furniture Co.

Craig Campbell and Chris Williams have some of the most recognizable work in Hollywood.

And while film critics Siskel and Ebert haven't given it a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down," it is entirely possible they have seen it in a sitting - or used it in one.

That's because the furniture Campbell and Williams and their 50-or-so employees produce at the Old Hickory Furniture Co. Inc. in Shelbyville is a hit in Tinsel Town. It decorated the lobby of the Great Northern Lodge in the TV series "Twin Peaks." A piece was in Demi Moore's loft in the movie "Ghost." Like a familiar character actor, Old Hickory furniture shows up in different roles on different shows.

"For some reason I was watching the television show |Babes' one night," Williams says. "They had a dream sequence, and right at the end of it I saw a couple of pieces of our furniture. So the stuff's out there."

Off the screen, Old Hickory is out there, too. Actress Candice Bergen has a few pieces. So do Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Sylvester Stallone and John Madden.

Old Hickory has even made the talk-show circuit. Oprah Winfrey had some furniture specially made a few years back. Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have a set. In fact, as Campbell's fingers stroll through the colorful pages of Old Hickory's catalog, fine chairs and famous names flow together.

"That's the style of the |Twin Peaks' furniture," he says, pointing to a two-hoop chair with a Native American-style upholstery. Turning the page, he points to a high-back chair with Pendleton blanket upholstery: "That's a chair we made for Tom Brokaw. It's at his ranch in Montana."

Jane Fonda and Ted Turner each have a set of Old Hickory furniture at their ranches - and own a set together. Adrienne Barbeau called a few weeks ago. And Old Hickory will soon be recovering some of actress Daryl Hannah's furniture.

"We're just trying to help the stars," Williams jokes.

Ironically, Campbell and Williams rarely know in advance when they will be helping the stars. An aggressive marketing campaign the two implemented shortly after they and two partners took over Old Hickory in 1990 targets primarily commercial accounts. Most of their sales to private citizens go through interior designers.

Which explains, for example, why the dining room set for singer John Cougar Mellencamp's Nashville home was ordered through a Newport Beach, Calif., design firm.

"I volunteered to make...