Our Roots and People

Yecla Furniture Fair has its own life story as we can see if we look back to the past, present and future of the sector. It was born out of the connection of the entrepreneurial spirit of those people who decided to take a gamble and thus create the origin of the furniture, timber and related sectors.

Yecla’s artisan origins go back to the cart builders or “aperadores” and the coopers in the 16th century. They would become an important foundation for manufacturing production in the timber sector. From the mid-18th century onwards, documentary sources provide information on the trades that developed in connection with woodworking.

In fact, following the Spanish confiscation (1836) and the massive felling of pine trees as a means of obtaining income, more mechanical sawmills were incorporated, and an incipient industry began to manufacture tables and chairs that were sold in neighbouring towns.

In this way, the trades linked to timber began to specialise: carpenters, woodworkers, blacksmiths, cabinetmakers, upholsterers and furniture shops and auxiliary industries. These were the real seeds that nurtured the business sector and the process of industrialisation in Yecla.

Leaders in furniture production

A major moment to remember in the early days of the furniture sector is the creation of the first furniture factory by Pedro Chinchilla Candela and Rafael Azorín Fernández. Together they produced furniture of the highest quality and finish.

At the beginning of the 1920s they broke up this partnership and two companies were created: “Muebles Pedro Chinchilla” and “Muebles Azorín”. This is how these two pioneering industries in the sector were born.  This impulse motivated the creation of other factories and workshops, creating an authentic business network specialised in furniture and its related products.

In the mid-1920s, there were more than half a dozen woodworking industries in Yecla. In the Valencia Exhibition in 1927-28, a dining room model manufactured in Yecla was awarded a prize. This model was later produced in large series to be sold in national markets.

Resilience towards a common future

The word crisis is a concept that this sector knows well. Even the first furniture manufacturing workshops had to face great challenges and adverse situations. A tough economic situation arose from 1940 onwards. This situation became even worse in 1948. It affected the industry and the population, due to the loss of jobs and the difficult survival of the Chinchilla industry with 200 employees on the payroll.

In this context, the parish priest José Esteban Díaz, who was also the regional trade union delegate, found an opportunity to tackle this crisis with the creation of an industrial cooperative, which was founded in 1949 under the name of Cooperativa Obrera del Mueble Esteban Díaz (COMED). This cooperative would be in existence for 20 years. After this event, many employees created their own companies in the furniture sector.

As a result of this journey, a unique sector has been created. Today, it continues to create its own brand and demonstrates its resilience in the common future of the sector, gathering together at the Yecla Furniture Fair.

The origin of the fair

The “First Local Furniture Fair” was held in 1961 as an attempt to have a greater impact on the market. There were 18 exhibitors with 32 stands.  The show was a great success, which led to the start of the procedures to establish the fair as an official event.

The exhibition was officially recognised by the Ministry of Commerce and in 1962 the first official edition was held under the name “Feria Provincial del Mueble e Industrias Afines” (Provincial Furniture and Related Industries Fair). At the fair, 24 firms participated with 43 stands in a space of 700 m2. These events, which put Yecla in the spotlight and put the sector’s industry on the map, are the driving force behind the economic and socio-cultural development of Yecla, reflected in each edition of the fair.

The alliances of the Yecla Furniture Fair

It is clear that to get somewhere you have to start walking.  As a result of these first steps, this event has consolidated its identity, experience, wisdom and a large family.

The Yecla Furniture Fair has alliances that make its life easier: the Regional Association of Furniture and Timber Entrepreneurs (AREMA); the Technological Centre of Furniture and Timber (CETEM); the National Association of Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters of Spain (ANIEME); the Official Association of Commercial Agents (COAC); the Official Association of Interior Designers / Decorators of the Region of Murcia (CODID-RM); trade associations and countless strategic agents of the sector.

The FMY also counts on the essential support of the Local and Regional Administration. This is a commitment to showcase and expand the furniture, timber and related sectors, a strategic pillar of the regional economy.