Colie and Harris

A Brief History of Colie & Harris, Inc.

Colie & Harris, Inc. has been a mainstay in the Merchandise Mart for more than three generations now, but the company actually has its earliest roots in Buffalo, New York. It was there that Oliver Colie founded Colie & Sons in 1866 and started crafting fine furniture.

At the turn of the century, the Kittinger family joined Colie & Sons and the company eventually changed its name to Kittinger in 1933. Kittinger became world famous for the craftsmanship involved in their traditional furniture and due to this reputation, they were commissioned to be the exclusive manufacturers of Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Newport reproductions. The White House also has many Kittinger pieces in its collection of fine furnishings.

In 1947, Oliver Colie’s grandson Eldon Colie moved to Chicago to represent Kittinger. He opened a showroom in the Merchandise Mart, beginning a relationship with the Mart that has lasted to this day. It is now considered to be one of the three oldest showrooms in the Merchandise Mart.

Eldon Colie’s stepson Jack Harris joined the company in 1950, following his highly decorated service in the Air Force during WWII. In 1959, the two incorporated and renamed their company Colie & Harris. They continued to represent the Kittinger Company for an additional twenty years, keeping their relationship intact well after Kittinger was sold to the General Interiors Corporation in 1966.

Colie & Harris has remained a family business since Eldon Colie and Jack Harris founded it. Bill Harris, Jack's eldest son, joined the company in 1971 and became its President in 1983 until his retirement in 2002. Under his direction the company continued to represent fine manufacturers of furniture such as Leathercraft, whom it has represented for more than twenty years. Continuing the family tradition, John Harris, Bill’s eldest son, joined the company in 1995, and is also fostering new associations with fine furniture manufacturers.

Indeed, as its history indicates, Colie & Harris prides itself on representing companies successfully and developing long-standing relationships in their service.