Curtis has a proud history in furniture manufacturing, with a heritage spanning over 150 years. Whilst Curtis Furniture has only been around since 1997, our namesake John Curtis originally set up his furniture business in 1852.
John William Curtis, a cabinetmaker, established a shop fitting business in Bond Street, Leeds. Due to his strong work ethic and excellent craftsmanship, the company prospered in the booming economy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
John William was succeeded by his son of the same name – and in 1894 the company moved to larger premises on the corner of Wade Street and Wade Lane, Leeds. Here the shop fitting business was further developed to include architectural woodwork. During this period the son of John Curtis II, John Wilfred, joined the business.
In 1925, the company moved premises to York Road, Leeds – where it stayed until 2013. Following the death of John Curtis II, Mr Edward Skirrow took over as Managing Director. A few years later Mr John Curtis III, son of Wilfred Curtis and great grandson of the founder joined him.
Image used by kind permission of Leeds Library and Information Services (www.leodis.net).
In July1997, the company was re-launched as Curtis Shopfitters Ltd – with an initial manpower of 12 staff. It was renamed Curtis Furniture Ltd in 2004.
In May 2013, Curtis moved to larger premises in South Leeds – to increase capacity and meet increasing market demand. Since then we have invested heavily in new equipment and increased our workforce – and we’re looking forward to a bright future.