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The Badminton bench, originally issued in the early '90s, reissued for McKinnon and Harris’ 30th anniversary
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The Virginia bench, originally issued in the early '90s, reissued for McKinnon and Harris’ 30th anniversary
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Reissued for the 30th anniversary, the Dr. Johnson Tennis Umpire chair — originally issued in the early 2000s — is named for Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson, who coached tennis greats Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe.
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When William Massie Jr. and his sister, Anne, decided to start an outdoor furniture company in 1991, their parents did not have full confidence in the potential for success.
“They thought it was a terrible idea and doomed to fail,” William says. “They thought I had a great job at the bank and should stay there.”
Despite their parents’ objections, the Massie siblings moved forward with their plan, and this year, McKinnon and Harris celebrates 30 years of success.
There are many furniture manufacturers to compete with, but William says craftsmanship separates their collections from those of the average outdoor furniture manufacturer. Drawing inspiration from hours spent outdoors during their childhoods, the Massies knew they wanted to bring sophisticated beauty to the outdoor living experience and a sense of family to how they operated their business.
The company name, McKinnon and Harris, is derived from their grandmothers’ maiden names, which are also William and Anne’s middle names — William’s middle name is McKinnon, and Anne’s middle name is Harris. Their maternal grandmother had a city garden, and their paternal grandmother had a country garden, and this love of gardening was passed on to both of the Massies’ parents. Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, William says his parents’ deep passion for plants, horticulture and antique furniture planted the seeds that would one day bloom into his thriving family business.
“They always wanted to know who had owned the antique furniture, and the story behind the pieces,” he says. His parents were English majors in college, and his father went on to become a physician, now retired, living in the home where the Massie siblings grew up. Their late mother began her career as an English teacher and later became a watercolor artist when both children were teenagers.
William says that after college, he moved to Richmond and went into banking, and while he picked up strong skills and developed a background in business, he could not stand what he was doing.
During a flight to New Mexico for a ski trip, he read the book “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow.” Feeling inspired, he says he developed the idea for McKinnon and Harris. “I love to create things, and it just seemed natural for me to do this,” he says.
When the business started, garden furniture was mostly disposable, and the Massies wanted to create furniture that would last. They originally used wrought iron to create their pieces, but the heaviness of it, the difficulty in coating it, and rust issues drove them toward the search for a lighter, more versatile material. The company settled on aluminum.
“We use local suppliers in Richmond, and the material is incredibly long-lasting,” William says. Specific techniques that include welding and complex joints, how the pieces are put together and how they are coated all contribute to each piece’s longevity, he says. The company handcrafts its furniture in its Arlington Road workshop in Richmond and gives customers and the general public the opportunity to see how the pieces are made.
For the company’s 30th anniversary this year, they reissued the Dr. Johnson Tennis Umpire Chair, named for Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson. Also a Lynchburg native, Johnson coached and mentored Althea Gibson, the first African American to win the Wimbledon tennis championship, as well as fellow tennis Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe. The chair retails for $20,850 and has a lifetime warranty.
“We are a family company who truly cares about the furniture, design and craftsmanship,” William says. “We are a leader and innovator, and we don’t sell pieces unless we are in love with the product.”
McKinnon and Harris now has locations in New York, Los Angeles and London, in addition to the company’s headquarters and workshop in Richmond.