Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company
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The Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company had its heydays between 1896 and the 1950s. It outlasted most other companies that made Mission Oak furniture. The company inaugurated its mission furniture line in early 1900 and named it Lifetime Furniture. The company advertised that it made "only that which is useful and beautiful in its plain sturdiness." Plain sturdiness was a good description as Lifetime Furniture was made to last a lifetime and has done so, now exceeding 100 years of use.
The style of furniture made in the 1911 to 1916 period was Lifetime Furniture's "Cloister" style. The 1910 Cloister Style catalog stated "It is the policy of the Manufacturers of Lifetime Furniture to produce only furniture worthy of being retained in the house of the purchaser indefinitely; furniture that will neither go out of style or (sic) become unpresentable from use until it has given service valued at many times the purchase price."
Recommended Reading: Life-Time Furniture - The Cloister Styles - Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company 1910 catalog