Proudly Romanian: Carel Woodworks and Arbore

and we strive to represent Romania proudly on the international stage through our work. After over 25 years of being behind the scenes as a trusted manufacturer for global brands, we decided to step into the spotlight and launch our own premium brand— Arbore —earlier this year. From New York's ICFF to London's Clerkenwell Design Week, Arbore has already made waves internationally and this month it was time to bring it home.

We're incredibly happy to have officially launched Arbore at BIFE-SIM 2024 in Bucharest this month. As a company deeply rooted in Romania, launching our brand here in our homeland holds immense significance. For us, it’s more than just an exhibition, it’s a celebration of everything that Romania has to offer to the world of premium furniture design and manufacturing.

As we continue to grow internationally, our commitment remains to honor and uplift our Romanian heritage through our work. Our goal is to showcase the very best of Romanian craftsmanship, creativity and design on a global platform.

A Message from Our CEO, Elena Birtoc

As a manufacturer in Romania and a proud Romanian, I want to share my personal reflections with you, my peers in the furniture industry, and our country's policymakers. What follows is my truth, my perception and while it may be subjective, it reflects the reality I’ve experienced over the years.

The Beginning of an Entrepreneurial Journey

When I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey in the furniture industry, it was an uphill battle. The environment, both domestically and internationally, was hostile. I lacked business management experience, had limited capital, and no adequate financial education. Moreover, the legislation was in constant flux, and the political landscape was as unstable as we were, leaving us with little guidance or support.

Navigating Business and Politics by Instinct

I managed my business and engaged with the political landscape based on instinct, driven by the belief that we could handle things on our own. Unfortunately, the lack of management expertise was compensated for by our clients, who essentially dictated the operations of our factories.

They decided what we made, how much we made, how we made it, and most importantly, at what price. These were not truly Romanian products, nor were they perceived as such. They were manufactured in Romania, yet no one knew this—including us, at times.

The Need for Capital and Foreign Investment

We understood, as we still do, the need for capital, foreign investments, and the importance of safeguarding the national currency. Like other Romanian entrepreneurs, we were also in need of capital. However, the available sources were unstable, hostile, and it took time for us to understand the necessary methods and procedures to access them.

A Failure to Ask for State Support

We failed to be assertive and ask for state support, the kind that other industries were receiving and continue to receive. Neither did we know how to define ourselves as a strategic industry for Romania.

We had no strategy, no well-structured plan, no lobby. Thus, we were unable to clearly present what we could offer in return for state support, should it have been granted.

The Challenge of Accessing European Funds

Even today, we struggle to access European funds directly from Brussels. We face an overly bureaucratic system, filled with piles of paperwork, guidelines that seem designed to confuse,and suppliers who inflate prices because they know we’re using funds. We purchased machinery, often just because we could, thinking, “it’s funded, it’ll come in handy for something.”

This was the wrong mindset, to buy things just for the sake of using the funds. But the problem were the funds themselves, as opposed to allowing to a large array of ways of spending them, you were constricted in a box of very few options, so you either used them in that way or you would get nothing at all.

Mistakes and Lessons Learned

We made mistakes—many of them—and in attempting to correct them, we made even more. Both the government and the entrepreneurs lacked the clarity to ask for, and provide, meaningful assistance. We asked questions, but answers never came. We spoke, but we did not communicate. We listened only to respond, not to understand.

The Decline of a Once-Great Industry

Today, few remain in our once-great industry. We struggle, our wings broken. Romania, once a rebellious adolescent, is now maturing. A new generation is emerging—better, more critical, and more courageous. This generation is bringing creativity and innovation, but it still seeks dialogue with the political class.

The furniture industry, once a flourishing tree, has been nearly stripped of its fruit. The critical question remains: what will we replace it with?

The Rise of Young Romanian Entrepreneurs

Despite this, we are seeing small, brave steps from Romanian entrepreneurs, like blades of grass pushing through the cracks in asphalt. This young entrepreneurship needs support and honest, clear dialogue with the political class. In many ways, we were not a good example; they saw that we didn’t know how to ask for what we needed from policymakers, and yet somehow we managed to get by.

The Urgent Need for Support

Today’s young entrepreneurs have the tools, determination, and know-how. However, they also need fair treatment, free from the discrimination that favors other entities. Small financial resources, spread too thin, result in wasted time, energy, and bureaucracy, leading to the dilution of their impact.

It’s time for the political will and procedures to change. With sufficient capital, there is time and energy for business growth, for developing, and for making a profit. Without capital, without funds, and without state aid, there is no money to bring in true professionals to win a piece of the market.

Rebranding the National Image

Our national brand, and the brand of Eastern Europe, need money and professional expertise to be rebranded. The political class is in the same situation—it has no money, no will, and no knowledge to invest in its image, in Romania’s image.

Embassies, consulates, ministries, and public institutions look impoverished; they do not represent us. They remain stuck in a history we wish to forget but are constantly reminded of, leaving us at the bottom of the historical ladder—humble and without hope.

Breaking Free from being Victims

This submissive attitude has led to victim-like behaviors, where we often become executioners, for others and ourselves. We think and act as if we are poor, but that is no longer permissible for us. We’ve forgotten that humility is not the same as humiliation.

The Romanian furniture industry can change this. Give us the chance to redefine your workspaces and Romania’s image. It’s a simple law of nature: before you can help others, you must first help yourself.

Building Romania’s Future Together

Support Romania’s image, our image, so we can grow, be strong, and give back in return. We understand the failings of the educational system in providing so little, with no connection to practical skills or the future. We are all guilty of not asking, not insisting, not standing firm.

We’ve failed to maintain old relationships with traditional markets like Asia and Africa, where we once held an extraordinary advantage—a good reputation. We’ve learned that blaming others is the worst poison, and we’ve swallowed more than enough of it.

We’ve made mistakes, together and apart. We’ve stood back-to-back, but now it’s time to turn around, look each other in the eye, and build together.

We need to find the necessary healing that reminds us, minute by minute, that we are good, generous, and united. We must encourage and support one another, have faith in Romanian entrepreneurs, and give them credit for their image. It’s time to stop comparing ourselves to others who have had a head start in capitalism.

A Call to Action

Romania is changing, and now is the time for us to change, too, and for you to join us. These words alone won’t change everything, but they represent the beginning of a much-needed mindset shift. 

We need to understand, collectively, that it is imperative to re-imagine Romania. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s an act of courage and salvation.

We need inner wealth, faith and national generosity, and then prosperity and kindness —both collective and individual— will follow.