Furniture maker to open N.C. factory

A Mississippi furniture maker plans to open a new plant in Taylorsville and create 128 jobs.

Caye Home Furnishings was lured partly by a $250,000 grant from the state, Gov. Bev Perdue's office announced today.

The company makes living room furniture and other products marketed under the Stratford and Stratolounger brands.

Caye has five manufacturing facilities in Mississippi and Florida, and two in China. In August 2008, it opened one in Star, N.C., which now employs 52 workers.

The new facility, located about 160 miles west of Raleigh, will assemble furniture for customers in the Northeast.

“We chose to locate in this area because of the outstanding workforce and business environment,” said Wayne Stewart, Caye’s chief financial officer, in a prepared statement. “Our company continues to grow even during these challenging economic times and we hope to have the plant operational within the next 30 to 45 days.”

Caye will pay average annual wages of $30,142, not including benefits. That's higher than Alexander County's average annual wage of $27,300.