Meet&CoMURFREESBORO, Tenn. — River Resin Tables, a boutique furniture maker based in Tennessee, recently showcased its handcrafted epoxy resin tables at the High Point Market, using the event to build connections and raise awareness about its artisanal product line.
Founder Chuck Harman attributes the company’s growing appeal to the high-quality craftsmanship of its offerings. “Our product is good,” he told Furniture Today. “My tables are legacy pieces that are going to last.”
(source: River Resin Tables)
The company combines natural hardwoods with colored epoxy resin to produce unique, handcrafted tables. While the aesthetic appeal is clear, Harman believes it’s the detailed process that truly differentiates their work.
“Our workshop has seven stations, and right now, we’re able to turn out around 16 tables each week,” he explained. The process begins with raw wood, which is stripped of bark and kiln-dried before being shaped, poured with resin, CNC machined, and finished. “We can even produce custom bar tops up to 100 feet long.”
Each table requires six days to complete due to a multi-step finishing process involving hand-applied penetrating oils and protective topcoats. Harman noted that unlike many mass-produced items, their tables aren’t sprayed — the oil is applied, wiped clean, and evaluated daily for additional coating needs.
Built with longevity in mind, Harman views the tables as heirloom-quality investments. “My tables are going to last 100 years. They’re five-generation tables,” he said. According to Harman, their compact 8-by-10 showroom display has the potential to earn retailers $100 per square foot per month, with custom orders offering additional profit opportunities.
Educating buyers about the safety of the materials is also a priority. River Resin uses an epoxy with no VOCs, ensuring a healthier product for both users and staff.
Price is another potential hurdle, though Harman has found that access to financing helps bridge the gap for many customers. “There are a lot of people that say they can’t afford it, but really they can’t afford it from me because I don’t offer financing. But as soon as they found financing, they bought it.”
One persistent challenge is helping retailers categorize the brand’s aesthetic. “When I go into a furniture store and I say, this is what I do, they go, well, you’re not contemporary, you’re not modern, you’re not French provincial, you’re not really farmhouse,” he said. “I like the product, but I don’t know where to put you.”
Despite that, Harman remains focused on aligning with retailers who see the value in handcrafted quality and compelling storytelling. “People want quality, and they make decisions every day based on that desire for quality. I think we’ve got something that is both high-quality and very unique,” he said.
