Hardware Podcasts

Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

How I Built This · 11 May 2026 · 1h 01m

What this episode covers

John Gabbert, founder of Room & Board, explains how a 1972 trip to IKEA inspired him to create a modern, American-made furniture brand after his father reneged on a deal to sell him the family business, Gabberts. Gabbert details his strategic pivot from flat-pack particle board to high-quality, steel-framed solid wood furniture, leveraging small New England manufacturers to compete with imports. He emphasizes his refusal of private equity and outside investors, choosing instead to grow organically and eventually transition the company to employee ownership via an ESOP.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Gabberts, IKEA
Also
Walker Arts Center, Martin Currier

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