Birchwood Wells adapts to COVID-19-related supply chain challenges: What customers need to know

If you’ve ordered just about anything during the pandemic, from furniture, clothes, electronics or household items, you’ve probably had to wait weeks, but more likely months for your item to finally arrive at your doorstep. 

Even this year’s Fourth of July celebrations could turn out to be a dud. COVID-19-related shipping delays are expected to create a fireworks shortage, since many of the materials actually come from China.

While you may be thinking, ‘But the pandemic is ending, things are getting back to normal,’ that doesn’t mean the backlog of orders has magically disappeared. 

The reality is, supply chain issues persist, some 16 months later. And Birchwood Wells is among the many businesses feeling the impact. 

So when you find an item at our store that you love, it’s not a sale pitch when we say, buy it now. Because if you take a week to think it over, the item might already be in someone else’s living room. 

For example, when a customer purchases the last upholstered chair that we have of a particular style, it could take months for us to restock that same item. Likewise, Birchwood Wells also offers custom furniture options if you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for on the sales floor. However, our furniture manufacturers are also experiencing delays, so your custom order could take several months to arrive. In fact, if you want a new dining room table and chairs by Christmas, the time to order them is right now. Yes, July.

There are multiple reasons for the longer wait time. 

First, fabric takes longer to get to the manufacturer. The textile industry is a global industry, and many textiles for furniture come from other countries, including India. Due to the toll the pandemic has taken on India’s factories, operations have slowed dramatically. 

Secondly, there are fewer workers to do the job—whether that job is to build the chair frame or drive the truck that delivers the finished furniture. Employers across the board are experiencing staffing shortages, as many scramble to fill new positions amid an uptick in demand, or hire employees back who were laid off last year. 

There’s no doubt the current supply chain challenges have changed how Birchwood Wells finds products. We are increasingly turning to local vendors and small businesses across the U.S. These carpenters and artisans don’t need to rely on other countries for textiles or labor. Instead, they design and create their goods by hand, using reclaimed wood from Wisconsin to build a coffee table, or Oregon clay to mold a vase. 

The obstacles, while overwhelming and time consuming at first, forced us to re-evaluate and re-prioritize what and who we want to reflect our brand. Ultimately, we believe the pandemic changed Birchwood Wells for the better. We continue to keep our shelves and floors stocked with quality merchandise, but we are working harder to find small-batch makers, who may not otherwise have a platform to market their goods. Just as our customers support us by shopping local, we’re supporting them by giving their products exposure. When more businesses and people invest in local entrepreneurs, the community as a whole benefits—creating more jobs, growing the economy and improving the overall quality of life for residents. 

Even though these changes are happening, the high standards we have for our products will never change. This upcoming fall and winter will be the first time we gather for the holiday season since COVID-19, and we want to make sure not only that our customers get what they need but when they need it.