Alstons Furniture - A Brief History

The History Of Alstons Furniture

The Alston family has been involved with furniture for over two centuries. As far back as 1776 there were Alstons repairing furniture in their Chelsea workshop.

The present family's direct ancestors started the business that became the Alstons Furniture business we know today in Sudbury, Suffolk. William Alston (1839-1919) and his brother Ambrose (1834 - 1902) were both master cabinet makers during the middle of the 19th century. William Alston later became a furniture dealer as well, selling from premises in 95 North Street, Sudbury. The Alstons Furniture business prospered and moved to 9 Old Market Place, Sudbury in 1875 Both of William Alston's sons, Hammond and Percy worked in the business and together they then created one of the first all electric workshops.

The premises at Old Market Place became a retail furniture shop as well, with additional workshops. One of which was to eventually form the beginnings of the Alstons Furniture Upholstery operation much later on. In 1921 Percy Alston's son Leslie started an apprenticeship with his father and then completed this at Fisher Trade Woodworking in London's East End.

In 1937 Leslie started his own manufacturing business at a redundant coconut matting factory in Long Melford. The business was set up with a £6,000 bank loan. Leslie's brother Roy joined him there to help run the new venture. The company later adopted the trade mark Albro as an abbreviation of Alston brothers, this continued into the 1980's.

During the Second World War, the factory in Long Melford switched its production to 'utility' bedroom and dining furniture. Extra work was also taken on to manufacture coffins for the war effort.

Later in the war, the Long Melford factory was burnt out and new premises were sought in Ipswich. Initially production was resumed within Wrinch's factory in Nacton Road, Ipswich. Land was also purchased adjacent to Wrinch's and a factory was built by joining war surplus Nissen huts together to form a linear building and a continuous furniture production line was created within it. This temporary structure survived until 1971 when a new building was erected over the old huts ensuring that not an hour of production was lost.

The Alstons Furniture cabinet business has remained at this site to this day. During this time a new head office had been built and a programme of continuous investment in machinery maintained. Alstons Furniture has manufactured almost exclusively bedroom furniture during this period. In the 1950's and 60's this was centered on suites of bedroom furniture of veneered teak, walnut and mahogany finish (a suite comprised a ladies wardrobe, a gents wardrobe and a dressing table). The 1970's saw the introduction of modular bedroom furniture ranges in veneered and painted finishes.In more recent years the Alstons have become a market leader in the production of traditional and contemporary bedroom ranges of laminate and painted finish.

Leslie Alston remained in charge of the business until his death in 1976 at which point his oldest son Rex (John) took over as Managing Director with Leslie's brother Percy (Roy) as Chairman. In 1979 Alan, Leslie's other son became Chairman and Managing Director of Alstons Furniture, assisted by his bother Rex and with their cousin Noel (Percy's son) as Sales Director. John P Alston joined the family business, Alstons Furniture, in 1974 becoming a Director in 1987 and Managing Director in 1995. In 2008 David Alston became Chairman of Alstons Furniture, taking on this role directly from his father. Also in this year John's daughter Jessica Alston joined Alstons Furniture as a design assistant.

The Upholstery business flourished and within 10 years, further satellite factories were opened in Hadleigh, Suffolk and Clacton, Essex.

The recession of the early 1980's saw a contraction of Alstons Furniture and the satellite factories were closed down and production and investment consolidated at the Colchester site. Up until 1995 Alan Alston continued to be responsible for the running of Alstons Furniture. In 1995 David Alston, Alan's youngest son became Managing Director of the company and the responsibility passed on.In 2008 John Alston took on the role of chairman of Alstons Furniture from his father.

During the life of the company it has manufactured sofas, sofa beds, chairs and recliner chairs.

Alstons Furniture continues to make all its production from its factory in Colchester and is now one of the leading producers of upholstery in the UK.

Secrets To A Good Nights Sleep With Simmons Beautyrest Mattresses

Life has become a vicious circle for many people which is just circling around work and family. Such people remain stressed and anxious thinking about working harder and getting over problems of life. People involved in so much of thinking could possibly suffer from sleeping problems. A sound sleep is very essential as it gives your mental and physical health a chance to relax, undergo restoration and rejuvenate for the next day activities. The Simmons Beautyrest Classic is one of Simmons mattress that can help you with that. Now, Let us explore the secrets to a good nights sleep.

The secret to having a good night sleep is a matter of having a harmonious relationship between your brain and body. Do not let your brain overpower the needs of your body. If your body wants to relax and sleep let it go. Moreover, your sleep schedule, bedtime habits, and day-to-day lifestyle choices make an enormous difference in the quality of your nightly rest.

Create a bedtime routine: Try and synchronize your body's natural sleep and wake cycle. Schedule your sleeping and waking up time, as this will train your body to remain active and sleep on time.

Never over sleep: Avoid sleeping for more than 8 hours just to catch on the lost sleep. This could worsen the problem leading to restless nights.

Exercise: Keep yourself physically active throughout the day so by the evening your body feels exhausted and demand good night sleep.

Develop a bedtime routine: Activities that make you feel drowsy, like soothing music or reading a dull book, can help you unwind from a busy day and prepare you for an undisturbed night.

Eat light: Keep your dinner light and avoid eating before going to sleep. This is because the process of digestion is slower during night and sleeping on a full stomach can have you feel bloated and uneasy making it difficult to sleep.

Warm bath: A warm bath 4 to 5 hours before bedtime is relaxing. And although it temporarily raises your body temperature, as you cool down you'll feel more and more drowsy.

Get a comfortable mattress to sleep, as many a times it is the mattress causing the entire problem.

In addition to above tips, keep your bedroom light dim as light stimulates the brain and awakens you. Sudden and loud noises can disrupt your sleep so, close all the windows. However, steady, whirring sounds, such as those of a fan or air conditioner, are conducive to sleep. A room that is too hot or too cold can also affect your ability to sleep. The ideal bedroom temperature is between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Following these secrets and also have one of The Simmons Beautyrest Classic will make a good nights sleep that has many advantages as it slows down the ageing process, improves your concentration and memory formation, keeps you alert and thinking sharp, helps in maintaining a strong immune system, restores your physical and mental health and makes you feel happy and rejuvenated.

Saving Money on Home Decor Shopping Online

One of the biggest perks to the Internet is the shopping. It is now possible to safely and securely purchase items from around the world that would otherwise be unavailable to you. This makes perfecting your home style and décor a lot easier.

To find the type of furniture you're looking for, start with a search for the specific type of furniture or décor you're interested in. This could be "modern home decor online" or if there's a specific designer, try "Broyhill patio furniture". The more specific your search is, the better the results.

From your results, you will likely have many options. Some of the retailers will have lower prices and you may be skeptical of them. This is good, you should never trust a retailer right away without doing due diligence. Luckily, there are several resources you can check out for online shopping reviews. One useful search might be: retailer name scam or retailer name fraud. You could also check the Better Business Bureau for a company rating.

Once you've confirmed that the online retailer runs a legitimate operation, now it's time for fun... shopping. I often find that with furniture you get what you pay for, so if the price is cheap, the quality probably is too. This is fine, I have a mixture of expensive and cheaper furniture and they seamlessly coexist. I often find that one expensive focal piece in the room is all you need, but if you can afford more, by all means.

Good review sites will often have all of the details you need on a retailer like the shipping and return policies. These can make or break the deal with many people. The good news is, a lot of online retailers are realizing this and offering free shipping deals and better return policies.

I often pass on retailers that charge a lot for shipping fees. Even local home decor retailers can charge several hundred dollars for delivery on large items. Most online retailers offer reasonable shipping prices to your door, but it's a good idea to add the items you want to your cart, and verify the total with shipping to see if you still want the items.

Return policies will vary quite a bit. Some retailers offer no-hassle returns where they e-mail you a shipping label and you put it on the box and then drop it off at a UPS or FedEx location. Some retailers charge restocking fees for large items returned, so be aware of the policies before you buy.

If the company is online and only has a store in one state, you may not be charged sales tax on your purchases. This can save you hundreds of dollars upfront, if you're making large purchases. Many online companies will also price match their competitors. So shop around and find the best deal. Once you find it, if they don't offer free shipping, find a competitor that does and you will likely be able to save even more money.

To recap:

• Decide on the specifics of your style/ designer
• Verify the retailer is not a scam by checking reviews
• Check shipping and return policies
• Calculate price with tax and shipping

The key to remember when shopping for furniture online is be smart, find exactly what you want, do your research, and shop confidently. With the huge selection and ease, it just makes sense to give it a try.