In July 2025, Howard Miller — a Michigan clock and furniture manufacturer with nearly 100 years of history — announced it would wind down operations. Headlines declared the end of an era. Then the company said it was no longer closing.
If you’ve been trying to make sense of that, you’re not alone. This article breaks down what happened, what caused the initial closure announcement, and what the reversal actually means for customers, collectors, and anyone following the story.
A Brief Look at Who Howard Miller Is
Howard Miller was founded in 1926 in Zeeland, Michigan. For nearly a century, it operated as a family-owned manufacturer best known for grandfather clocks, wall clocks, curio cabinets, and home furnishings.
The company ran plants in Zeeland, Traverse City, and two facilities in North Carolina. It was both a well-recognized consumer brand and a long-standing employer in its local communities. In the awards and promotional products industry, Howard Miller was also a familiar supplier of decorative clocks and recognition pieces.
Its reputation rested on longevity and craftsmanship. That’s part of why the closure announcement hit hard — and why the reversal created so much confusion.
The July 2025 Closure Announcement
In July 2025, Howard Miller publicly announced that it would wind down operations. The announcement covered both Howard Miller and its related brand, Hekman.
The stated plan had two phases. First, manufacturing would be phased out through late 2025. Second, the company would stay open into 2026 to sell off its remaining finished goods inventory through dealers and direct channels.
CEO Howard J. “Buzz” Miller stated that economic conditions had made operations “unsustainable to continue.” The company confirmed it had worked with an investment banker to find a potential buyer but had not secured one at the time. Leadership noted they were still open to acquisition offers during the wind-down period.
The announcement came directly from the company’s official Facebook page, which left little room for doubt — at least at that point.
What Drove the Decision to Close
Several business pressures came together to push Howard Miller toward closure. No single factor was solely responsible.
Tariffs on imported components played a significant role. Some of those components were not available from domestic suppliers, which meant the company couldn’t simply switch sources. In some cases, niche suppliers exited the market entirely because of the cost pressures, making certain materials harder to source at any price.
At the same time, inflation, rising interest rates, and higher housing and mortgage costs reduced demand across the home furnishings market. When housing activity slows, furniture and home décor sales typically slow with it. Howard Miller operated squarely in that space.
Supply chain challenges compounded these pressures over time. The company’s CEO pointed to all of these factors collectively, not just one.
It’s worth noting that some media coverage placed heavy emphasis on tariffs as the primary cause. While tariffs were clearly a factor, the company’s own statements describe a combination of macroeconomic pressures rather than a single culprit. That distinction matters when assessing the full picture.
Equipment Auctions and Signs of a Full Wind-Down
By early 2026, the wind-down looked very real. Reports described Howard Miller as officially closed, with its manufacturing equipment being liquidated through a public online auction that ended on February 10, 2026.
Auctioning off machinery is not a reversible step. It signaled that the original manufacturing operation — as structured under the Miller family since 1926 — had come to an end in its existing form.
Local press framed the equipment liquidation as the loss of a community institution. For Zeeland and surrounding areas, a nearly 100-year-old employer closing its doors carried real weight, regardless of what might come next for the brand.
At this stage, the story appeared to be over. Then the company posted an update that changed the narrative entirely.
The Reversal — Howard Miller Is No Longer Closing
After the equipment auctions and widespread closure coverage, Howard Miller posted a statement on its official Facebook page that read: “Howard Miller is no longer closing and will instead be continuing operations under new ownership.”
A separate company statement, circulated in community discussions, added more context. It clarified that while the company had previously announced plans to cease operations, Howard Miller would not be closing its doors. The statement described the situation as a strategic shift, with the Miller family stepping back from daily management while the legacy of the brand continues under new ownership.
This is the part of the story that trips people up. Two things are true at once: the original Miller-family-owned manufacturing entity did wind down, and the Howard Miller brand is continuing under a different ownership structure.
Think of it this way — the chapter ended, but the book didn’t.
What This Means for Customers and Collectors
Can You Still Buy Howard Miller Products?
Based on the new ownership announcement, the brand is set to continue. During the transition period, inventory from the wind-down was available through dealers and direct channels. Going forward, product availability will depend on how the new ownership structures manufacturing and distribution.
If you’re looking to purchase a Howard Miller clock or piece of furniture, checking the company’s official website and authorized retailers is the most reliable approach. The reversal announcement suggests the brand will remain active, but the specifics of the new operation are still becoming clearer.
What About Warranties and Repairs?
This is a reasonable concern for anyone who owns an existing Howard Miller product. During the wind-down period, the company indicated it would continue handling existing obligations, including inventory sales and presumably service needs.
With new ownership now in place, ongoing service and warranty support is likely, but not guaranteed under the same terms as before. The safest approach is to contact Howard Miller directly through official channels to confirm current warranty and repair policies before making assumptions.
Will Howard Miller Clocks Become More Collectible?
That’s a fair question, and the answer is: possibly, but with caution. Clocks and furniture produced during the original family-owned manufacturing era — spanning from 1926 through 2025 — may carry a heritage value for collectors, particularly pieces made near the end of that period.
The equipment auction and the conclusion of original manufacturing reinforces the idea that those products represent a closed chapter. Post-acquisition pieces, if they’re eventually produced under new ownership, would come from a different era of the brand’s history.
Whether that translates into meaningful price appreciation depends on collector demand, which is difficult to predict. It’s worth treating collectibility as a possibility, not a certainty.
What This Story Tells Us About Business Resilience
The Howard Miller situation is a useful case study in how external pressures can destabilize even long-established companies. A 99-year-old family manufacturer with a strong brand identity and loyal customer base still found itself unable to sustain operations when tariffs, inflation, interest rate increases, and supply chain disruptions hit simultaneously.
It also shows that “going out of business” isn’t always a final outcome. In many cases, when a business model becomes unsustainable for one ownership structure, the underlying brand still has value. A buyer steps in, restructures the operation, and the brand continues — sometimes in a reduced or modified form, but continues nonetheless.
For small manufacturers and family-owned businesses, the Howard Miller story highlights how vulnerable a single-business model can be when multiple economic pressures arrive at once. Diversifying supply chains, monitoring cost exposure, and planning for ownership transitions are all practical takeaways from this case.
If you’re running or advising a business navigating similar pressures, resources like StartBizAdvice can offer practical guidance on business structure, risk management, and continuity planning.
The Current Status in Plain Terms
Here’s a straightforward summary of where things stand:
- July 2025: Howard Miller announced it would wind down operations and close, citing tariffs, inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain challenges.
- Late 2025: Manufacturing operations were phased out as planned.
- Early 2026: Manufacturing equipment was liquidated through a public auction, marking the end of the original family-owned operation.
- After the auction: Howard Miller posted an official update stating the company is no longer closing and will continue under new ownership, with the Miller family stepping back from daily management.
The answer to “Is Howard Miller going out of business?” is no longer a simple yes or no. The original version of the company — nearly 100 years of Miller family ownership and Michigan manufacturing — has concluded. But the brand itself is continuing under new ownership.
For customers, that distinction matters. The name on the clock isn’t going away. But what the company looks like in practice — its products, its manufacturing, its service capabilities — will depend on decisions the new ownership makes going forward.
Keep an eye on Howard Miller’s official channels for the most current information, especially if you have questions about product availability, warranties, or service support. The situation has moved quickly, and the most reliable updates will come directly from the company itself.
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