Matt Moore, owner of Moore Furniture in Ephrata, stands beside a stove in his showroom in November 2021. The supply chain for furniture and appliances so scarce for a couple of years has mostly returned to normal, he said, but the disruptions of the least couple of years are still having a ripple effect.
July 7, 2023
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Settling out
Supply chain disruptions are mostly over, but their effects are still felt
COLUMBIA BASIN — The great furniture crunch is mostly over, according to experts. “It was pretty bogged down there,” said Matt Moore, owner of Moore Furniture in Ephrata. “It took a long time for the industry, in general, to get back up to normal production.” COVID-19 affected the production and shipping of just about everything, from computer chips to lumber to plastics. Between factory shutdowns with their subsequent labor shortages and strikes at ports and transportation companies, anything that had to be imported or shipped from one place to another was liable to be either delayed or just plain unavailable. A survey published in August 2022 by the Association of Washington Business showed that 73% of businesses in the state were finding the inability to get materials either a challenge or a major disruption. Furniture and appliances were among the markets affected.