Furniture Brands International Inc. and Stanley Furniture Co. Inc., which have
manufacturing and sales operations across the Triad, had their stocks upgraded Monday
by securities analysts at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Capital Markets Inc. in Atlanta.

Both companies were upgraded from "equal weight" to "over weight" by SunTrust Robinson
Humphrey.

"Over weight" is the highest rating that SunTrust Robinson Humphrey gives, which
indicates the investment firm expects both Furniture Brands and Stanley Furniture to
outperform the rest of the furniture industry this year in sales and profit growth.

Separately, Stanley Furniture also will be presenting an overview of its operations and
 outlook for 2004 at the Credit Suisse First Boston 2004 Furniture Symposium on Feb. 4.