For 80 years, Frost-Barber has helped shape the way people work, learn, heal and connect across Baton Rouge and beyond.
Our story began in 1946 as an office supply business on the corner of Laurel and Third Street in downtown Baton Rouge. Founded by L. N. Frost Sr. and later carried forward by his son, Larry Frost, we grew over the decades while building lasting relationships throughout the community.
What started with office supplies did not stay there for long. As workplaces changed, we changed with them.
Evolving With the Way People Work
In 1966, we expanded into office furniture and added design services. Vaughn Barber joined the company during this period, and we became Frost-Barber Inc.
Another major milestone came in 1984, when we became an authorized Steelcase dealer for East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes. This partnership helped shape our next chapter and led us to establish our longtime headquarters on Interline Avenue.
Over the decades, we’ve grown from selling office products to helping clients think more intentionally about the environments they create.
Today, we work across corporate, healthcare, K–12 education, higher education and other commercial environments. Our team helps with furniture specification, space planning, design support and comprehensive workplace solutions for projects ranging from a single chair to an entirely new facility.
More Than Furniture
Furniture may be part of the finished space, but our work often begins long before anything is ordered. We collaborate with clients, architects and design partners early in the process to understand what an organization truly needs from its space.
That means asking questions, exploring possibilities and helping clients see options they may not have considered. Our job is to educate, provide options and help them see what could be.
That philosophy shapes our approach to workplace design: bringing form and function together to create spaces that support the people who use them every day while helping organizations meet their goals.
Relationships Built Over Decades
Eighty years in business also means generations of relationships. Many of our clients have worked with us again and again, and many of our team members have spent years building those relationships.
Our average employee tenure is more than 15 years, which gives our clients continuity and confidence in the people they work with. They know they can call us when they need something. That long-term partnership is a big part of what sets Frost-Barber apart.
A People-Centered Culture
The same emphasis on relationships shapes our culture internally. We describe Frost-Barber as personal, family-oriented and collaborative. We work hard, we care about the outcome and we support one another along the way.
At the same time, being an 80-year-old company does not mean we are focused on doing things simply because that is how they have always been done. We push ourselves to evolve, challenge the status quo and keep asking what could work better.
Respecting our history while embracing change has helped us evolve alongside workplaces, technology and client needs. It also continues to shape where we are going next.
Helping Baton Rouge Build What’s Next
We’ve been part of Baton Rouge’s business community since our earliest days downtown, helping shape the spaces where people work, learn and connect.
As the community and the way professionals work continue to evolve, so do we. After 80 years, our focus remains the same: listening to our clients, exploring new possibilities and creating spaces that work better for the people who use them.