From the veranda to the airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina is actually a completely ordinary American airport. Opened in 1937, it transports passengers and cargo; in 2017, the airport was the tenth-busiest airport in the USA in terms of the number of passenger movements and the sixth-busiest American airport in terms of the average number of aircraft movements. Like almost all major airports, there are numerous check-in counters, shops, food options, and free Wi-Fi. But there is also something that makes Charlotte Douglas International Airport quite special: rocking chairs from the Troutman Chair Company are scattered throughout the airport building, inviting passengers to sit, rock, and relax.
The seating, unusual for an airport, was installed in the airport's lobby in 1997 as part of a photo exhibition titled "Porch Sitting." At the time, the chairs were still from another manufacturer and were originally intended only as props. However, visitors quickly began using the furniture as an alternative seating option, so they were simply left standing after the exhibition. Soon, other American airports copied the idea and also installed rocking chairs in their lobby areas.
In the mid-2000s, Jean and Champ Land—then owners of the Troutman Chair Company—were sitting at Charlotte Douglas International waiting for their flight. Champ promptly called the airport management and, referring to the rocking chairs, said: “I've got some better ones!” His products were so convincing, and today over 100 Troutman Rocking Chairs are set up for guests at Douglas International. The seating has been enthusiastically received, providing an oasis of calm in the hustle and bustle of modern times, a feeling that is particularly evident in places like airports and train stations. In the digital age, rocking chairs are like a piece of an ideal, analog world that you can immerse yourself in by simply sitting down and rocking, and immediately find peace.
Appreciated by presidents, perfected by Troutman
Rocking chairs, also known as "rockers," are legendary in the USA and something of the epitome of the American lifestyle. They come in countless shapes and colors, and they have a place on the porch in the summer as well as in front of the fireplace in the cold winters. They appear repeatedly in American films and books. Numerous celebrities have been enthusiastic fans of this quintessentially American piece of furniture.
For example, Mark Twain regularly sat in a rocking chair to relax and reflect. Abraham Lincoln was shot in one, and President Kennedy's doctor prescribed sitting in one to relieve his back pain. The doctor's recommendation worked, and soon Kennedy was sitting in a rocking chair wherever possible—even in the Oval Office and on Air Force One. Kennedy's popularity and his fondness for the chair ultimately made the rocking chair well-known and even more popular among the American people than it already was.
When Champ Land purchased the Troutman Chair Company in 1998, he sensed he had acquired a diamond in the rough. Since 1924, the family-owned business had been crafting its rocking chairs with expertise and passion – so successful that Land retained the original design and made only minor changes to optimize the company's production processes. The chairs still pass through 24 pairs of hands during production; the finished chair only leaves the factory ten months after the wood for a chair arrives. In keeping with tradition, glue is avoided during production and the chair is crafted using sophisticated carpentry techniques. Thanks to its well-thought-out ergonomic shape, a Troutman Rocking Chair rocks back and forth almost by itself, providing immediate relaxation.
Available models
You can find the Troutman Rocking Chairs in different designs and sometimes also in different sizes.
