The story below is from our September/October 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Two Roanoke businesses feature made-to-order, made-in-America sofas where you can decide every detail.
Courtesy of Better Sofas
Call it a couch, say it’s a sofa — this substantial piece of furniture is often the centerpiece of living spaces. It’s where we relax, entertain, maybe even nap. Choosing the right one for your room is a balancing act of size, style and budget, and a purchase you want to get right.
Have you ever bought a sofa, for comfort or for looks, only to realize you’ve made a mistake? I have — twice. The first couch, purchased locally from a chain, was giant and squashy, beloved by family and pets alike, but it annoyed me with its sloppy, sagging cushions and overstuffed presence. The second sofa, ordered from a reputable brand for its sleek midcentury modern lines and stiff, un-squishable cushions, was instantly loathed by family and forbidden to pets. I soon came to hate it too, as I discovered its so-called performance fabric was a stain and fur magnet.
While looking for a happy medium, I discovered that Roanoke has custom furniture makers. I had assumed that bespoke sofas were the exclusive provenance of the well-heeled, but for a price comparable to those you see in certain home catalogs and stores, you can have a sofa tailor-made to your specifications.
Better Sofas, housed in an unassuming warehouse off Peters Creek near the train tracks, is a surprise for the uninitiated. Inside, the spacious showroom is arranged by style, progressing from traditional to modern. Sourced from 22 upholstery brands and all manufactured in North Carolina (plus one in Virginia), it can seem overwhelming at first sight, and that’s before you discover all of the options beyond length and fabric.
Courtesy of Better Sofas
How tall should the back be? How wide should the armrests be? What shape for those armrests? How deep do you want the seat cushions? How many seat cushions? How many back cushions? What kind of cushion fill, frame, stitching? What style and color legs? Do you want an apartment sofa, a sectional sofa, a sleeper sofa?
That’s where Colby Rorer comes in. A self-described “furniture nerd,” he views furnishings as art, similar to paintings on the walls. His father, Jeff Rorer, founded Mostly Sofas in the 1990s, while Colby cut his teeth working for an interior designer and then another furniture store in the 2000s. In 2013, the duo opened Better Sofas, originally at another location, which they soon outgrew.
Rorer says their formula is simple. “Display certain pieces in a gallery to show what is possible for you as a consumer. That’s why we had to have such a large space — so much doesn’t work on a guessing platform.” Better Sofa’s collection is the result of extensive research. “What’s field studied, what’s tested and will last and how can I apply that to the client’s lifestyle,” he explains.
For the client who isn’t sure where to begin, he starts with style. After deciding on traditional vs transitional, contemporary vs modern, casual vs formal, they talk design specifics.
Size and scale matter. Rorer says the most important thing to know about your space is the measurements. “If you have a smaller area, a 68-inch ‘apartment sofa’ with shallower seat depth and a slim arm style can maximize seating while saving space,” he notes. To visually enlarge smaller spaces, he recommends sofas with visible legs instead of a skirted base, and sofas with lower backs, which won’t loom or divide an area.
For rooms with more space, Rorer suggests “floating” furniture in the room versus putting it all against walls, and following the “three-foot rule” of allowing 36 inches around furnishings to avoid overcrowding.
Once you’ve got your sizing and, as Rorer puts it, “the bones of the piece,” talk about lifestyle and fabric. If choosing leather, he notes that natural leathers will patina over time, whereas protected (aka treated) leather will retain a similar look for years.
Courtesy of Txtur
Once all the decisions are made, the sofa is hand-crafted and will often be ready inside of a month, though some pieces require up to eight weeks.
Txtur (“texture”) is located inside downtown’s historic Fire Station One Boutique Hotel, along with Stock Bistro & Bar. It is the residential off-shoot of commercial manufacturer Frank Chervan, Inc., which was founded in 1932 and opened a Roanoke furniture factory in 2006. In 2020, the company shifted focus to include retail, but not for what’s known in the industry as “fast furniture,” meaning items that are quickly and affordably mass-produced for short-term use. They create what Nick Guacheta, director of sales, calls “durable heirloom furniture,” with an eye towards sustainability, and are working to open a secondhand store for repurchased and refurbished pieces.
“When someone no longer needs a piece of furniture, we can be a direct point of recycling, to keep it from a landfill,” he explains. “We will be able to purchase it back for a percentage, as a token of gratitude, and reconstitute it.”
Guacheta says that while many people are familiar with Fire Station One’s hotel and bistro, some are less familiar with what Txtur is about. He describes the showroom as “a snapshot of our most charismatic features. The floor samples are about three years old, which is a testament to their durability and performance.” Stock patrons are encouraged to enjoy their meals and cocktails at any of the furnishings.
Courtesy of Txtur
While Txtur’s entire furniture catalog has an eye-watering 90,000 possible configurations, when a person comes into their store looking for a sofa, Guacheta starts with, “Describe your dream sofa.” He shows them options and they refine from there. “What do you like about this piece, what do you dislike? What can we change?” Clients can dictate dimensions, silhouette, materials and features, and if it isn’t in the catalog, as a one-footprint Roanoke manufacturer, they can sketch and build it.
If a client needs help choosing the right piece for their space, Txtur can come to their home. “We’ll bring measuring lasers, materials, look at the room and the light and offer different options and explain why we think it works for your space.” The service is complimentary, Guacheta explains, adding that they will also move out old furniture if needed. “We try to be as hospitable and neighborly as possible, with no strings attached.”
Guacheta says the “crown jewel” of their sofa lines is their modular sofa system platform, which offers substantial variability and customization with different silhouettes, widths and configurations. For clients looking for that elusive comfortable sleeper sofa, Txtur uses the Zen sleeper mechanism, which avoids the dreaded “bar in the back” feeling of traditional sleepers. He adds that they have a proprietary five-unit system which makes their sleeper sofas much easier to move than traditional hefty styles.
Being a direct manufacturer allows Txtur to control every step of the process — the retail and delivery chain — with transparent pricing and one flat profit margin. They aim to deliver their products within six weeks.
If you’re in the market for a quality custom sofa, and could use some personalized design tips and guidance, both Better Sofas and Txtur offer extensive options and expert advice. These Roanoke-based businesses feature all American-made products, without the markup of big chain and online furniture stores. While a quality sofa is still a bit of an investment, shopping locally and getting exactly what you want is both a satisfying and sustainable experience.
Better Sofas
3631 Aerial Way Dr
Roanoke 24018
540-400-6334
Txtur
13 Church Ave SE
Roanoke 24011
540-305-3039
The story above is from our September/October 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!