Zeeland, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan watch company that has helped people maintain time for 99 years says it is out of business due to tariffs and other economic conditions.
Howard Miller Co., which manufactures grandfather watches, watches and wall furniture, said the production will be gradually eliminated this year. The company will stay in 2026 to sell its inventory.
“We are incredibly disappointed to have reached this point on our trip,” said the CEO Howard J. “Buzz” Miller, grandson of the founder Howard C. Miller.
The Zeeland -based manufacturer, 175 miles (281.6 kilometers) west of Detroit, has sought a buyer, but so far he has not found one.
“Furniture sales are closely linked to the health of the real estate market, which is fighting,” said Miller. “Our hopes for a market recovery at the beginning of the year faded quickly as the tariffs shook the supply chain, caused fears of recession and exceeded mortgage rates.
Miller said that tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have increased the cost of essential components that are not available in the United States, the company employs approximately 200 people in Michigan and North Carolina.
The closure of Howard Miller also includes Hekman Furniture Co., which acquired in 1983. The clock business was founded in 1926.
“Watches has a massive impact on the economic development of Zeeland, in its culture, in its industry,” said the director of the historical society of Zeeland, Katelyn Vermerris, to Wood-TV. “The watches were one of Zeeland’s main exports during most of the twentieth century.”
