Focus on furniture, firefighting

It makes sense that a woodworking company would have close ties to its local fire department.

The E.A. Clore Sons Inc. property is filled with ceiling-high stacks of wooden chairs and footstools as well as various dressers, desks and other handcrafted furniture.

“In [1927 and 1930], before we had a fire company here, this place burnt twice,” E.A. Clore Sons Inc. Vice President Troy Coppage said of his family’s business, which has been in operation since 1830. 

Four Clore brothers – James O., D.L., Lucian and J.W. – who had purchased the company from their father, E.A. Clore, “knew the importance of having a well-equipped and manned fire department,” according to Coppage.

The family was instrumental in the creation of the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company and its ancestors continue to volunteer their time to assist the community.

Upon meeting with a reporter, Coppage – who took over the fire company’s fire chief post earlier this year – warns that a possible fire call has just come in and he may have to leave at any moment.

Although he’s at work at the longtime wood furniture outlet, his commitment to fighting fires comes first, he says.

“That serious call takes precedence over everything,” Coppage said.

The 42-year-old has been fighting fires since he was 14 – which, at the time, was the minimum age you could join the company as a junior member.

Joining the fire company was a natural progression for Coppage, who grew up around the firehouse, he says.

“There are pictures of me at the firehouse when I’m,” Coppage says lowering his hand to waist height, “too young to remember. I’ve been around it all my life. It’s always been a part of my life. I grew up expecting that’s what I wanted to do,” he said.

Early in his life, the Madison County native had considered becoming a career firefighter and had planned to pursue a degree in fire science, he said.
But the firefighting-related program was discontinued before he started classes and Coppage instead took some business and engineering classes at Piedmont Community College.

Around this same time, Coppage started working at E.A. Clore Sons Inc. doing odd jobs including sanding, cleaning and various factory maintenance jobs.
“I started at the bottom. Typically we don’t hire a person for a specific job,” Coppage said, adding that most of the company’s employees start by doing various jobs until “we find a spot that really fits.”

A few years after he signed on at the Clore Place furniture outlet, the furniture maker married his wife of close to 21 years – Megan Coppage. The couple has two children – Tyler, 18, and Ian, 11. 

Nowadays, Coppage spends most of his time in the business office within the scattering of buildings on the Clore family property. He heads back into the workroom every now and then to build custom furniture pieces, mostly entertainment centers and desks. Coppage is also busy planning the woodworking company’s upcoming expansion. This spring, E.A. Clore Sons Inc. plans to open a new showroom on Business 29 (North Main Street) in the space formally home to Madison Market (next to Piedmont Deli). 

“The No. 1 complaint we have from people is how hard we are to find,” Coppage said of the business hidden in the hills off Cedar Hill Road north of downtown Madison.

The North Main Street location will likely sell its traditional furniture along with more “accessories,” including lamps and glassware, he said.
For information about E.A. Clore Sons Inc., visit its Web site at http://www.eaclore.com or call (540) 948-5821.