The Man

By: Nolan Stout

Integrity.

Ask anyone to describe Harold Hart and that's the first word that comes to mind.

“He was successful because he was a man of his word,” said Robert Seligson, executive vice president and CEO of the N.C. Medical Society.

“He was one of the most respected men in the furniture industry,” said Brooks Weir of Weir Furniture. “He is sorely missed.”

Not only was his integrity a defining part of his personal, but Hart’s charismatic personality allowed him to associate with a wide array of people.

“He’d come in and sit down with the loading and unloading guys every morning,” said Debra Johnson, who has worked at the wholesale part of the business for 14 years. “He would talk with them and joke with them and that meant a lot to those guys.”

"It almost seemed like he was one of them but you knew he was the boss,” said Nancy Johnson, who has worked with the wholesale business for 10 years. “He didn't try to put himself above anybody."

Hart was born in 1942 to Hazel and Gurman Hart in Siler City, N.C. He began working at Hart Furniture as a young man when it was still an upholstery and retail store, but quickly became bored with that.

"He really didn't like the retail part," said Faye Hart, Harold's wife of 51 years. "It moved much too slow for him.”

Harold and Faye met when they were in high school. Wade Hackney, who would go on to work for Harold at the business for over 40 years, was one of his close friends. Hackney’s sister Doris was Faye’s friend and the two met at the Hackney house.

“We’d see each other around and started to go down to Pittsboro and roller skate,” said Faye.

But Hart was all about business. Faye says that the ability to move large amounts of furniture quickly is what brought Hart in touch with the wholesale business.

“With a retail customer you could spend half a day on one piece of furniture,” said Faye. “But on the wholesale side, he could call someone on the phone and talk for 10 minutes and sell them a whole truckload of furniture.”

Hart began working with wholesale furniture by borrowing money from his father and buying a truck and closeout furniture to sell. He would drive to South Carolina and sell furniture on the side of the road until he had enough money to buy some buildings in Siler City.

When Hart was diagnosed with cancer it seemed that he would try his best to keep his friends and family happy while he was going through such hard times. 

"He'd call in everyday and just to hear his voice uplifted me,” said Debra. “To have his presence gone it's just different."

The family struggled to see Hart become weaker, lose weight and suffer. But Hart did his best to keep his hopes up.

“He really thought he was going to beat it and tried not to show how bad it really was so we wouldn’t feel so bad,” said his daughter Lisa Hart Stout, who now runs the business.

As part of his personality, he was a very determined man. He was always determined to find a good deal or fight for the people he cared about. When he was diagnosed, he truly believed he would only be out a month or two fighting the disease and then go right back to work. Prior to this he had rarely missed a day of work.

"He wasn't going to give up until he absolutely had to,” said Nancy. “He was a fighter and he was going to keep fighting until there wasn't anything else to fight for."

When doctors told him that he had little time left, Hart set about putting his affairs in order and saying goodbye to all the people he had affected in life. In his darkest hour he provided comfort to those he would be leaving behind. He was always kind and light-hearted, cracking jokes until he no longer could.

“It’s just not the same without him,” said Debra.

Hart passed away on Oct. 10, 2013 with his family by his side.

Ask anyone that knew Harold Hart and they will tell you that the world lost a great man that night.