SHELBY, NC — Bernhardt Furniture will reopen its Shelby, NC, manufacturing plant that closed in 2009. Company officials told The Shelby Star that Plant 9 could reopen as early as mid-July.

On June 28, The Star reported that applications are being accepted at the plant beginning July 1. Although the number of employees to be hired has not been confirmed, more than 100 people had been employed at the plant prior to its closing.

Upholstered sofas and chairs were previously manufactured at Plant 9. Bernhardt Furniture also manufactures occasional, bedroom, home office and dining room furniture.

Headquartered in Lenoir, NC, Bernhardt Furniture was founded in 1889 and is still privately owned. According to its website the company employs approximately 1,000 people at its seven facilities in North Carolina and its six Asian offices. It also has a 75,000-square-foot showroom in High Point.