What is the importance of Bassett, Virginia in the biography, Factory Man?

Bassett, Virginia, was named after the Bassett family and the large and successful furniture-making factories that were established in the town and in the nearby area. The factories employed a large number of Bassett residents who were grateful for the stability and longevity that their employment with Bassett provided them with. During the height of Bassett’s success, Bassett was a mini-boom town. However, with the onset of globalization and foreign concerns that copied Bassett’s lines and provided it to retailers at a much lower cost, things began to change in Bassett. Ultimately the factories closed and Bassett became a neglected and blighted southern town with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.