Richmond-based McKinnon and Harris creates classic outdoor furniture handcrafted to last for generations
Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, William McKinnon Massie, Jr., and Anne Harris Massie were immersed in classical beauty. Their parents nurtured family gardens and shepherded Will and Anne to more than 100 nurseries and botanical gardens by the time the siblings were in their early twenties. Indoors, recalls Will, “Our home was filled with family heirlooms—beautiful pieces collected over time.”
Decades later, echoes from this painterly past somehow swayed sister and brother from their designated career paths. Anne was finishing a master’s degree in fine arts at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), but didn’t fancy herself a full-time artist. And Will was less than thrilled with his job in banking. So the duo decided to team up and dive head-first into the outdoor-furniture business. “Our parents loved the concept of creating a lasting garden and were also