C.F. Martin & Co. is preparing to make what it is calling its “biggest capital investment” ever. The company, beloved in bluegrass circles and beyond for its top-of-the-line acoustic guitars, has announced plans for a 200,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, not too far from its headquarters in Nazareth.
According to CEO Chris Martin, the new facility would allow the company to have a centralized facility for both instrument distribution and storage of raw wood. The new warehouse would take the place of two older facilities that are located further away from Nazareth, and would be both more modern and better climate-controlled.
The company has not yet reached a final agreement with the Charles Chrin Commerce Centre, the industrial park in which the new warehouse would be located, but Martin said plans are in place to purchase about 14 acres. Building plans must also be approved by local officials, including a potential zoning change due to the height of the proposed warehouse. The new building would take about two years to be ready, with an opening date tentatively scheduled for sometime in 2021.
