Ethan Allen plans to expand production at its furniture factory in western North Carolina and add 90 jobs.

The factory in Old Fort, just east of Asheville, makes dining and bedroom sets and other products.

The new jobs will pay average annual salaries of $26,645, Gov. Bev Perdue's office announced today. That's less than the McDowell County average of $27,768.

State officials promised the company a grant worth up to $270,000 if it meets its hiring goals.

This news stinks for California, but it's sweet for North Carolina.

Unilever announced late Thursday that it will close a manufacturing plant outside Los Angeles, and shift production to facilities in Raeford, N.C., and Jefferson City, Mo. The factories make anti-perspirants and deodorants for Unilever brands such as Axe, Dove, Degree and Suave.

The factory closure in California will cost 61 employees their jobs. As production is shifted next year, it has not yet been determined if it will mean additional jobs at the other facilities, said Unilever spokesman Dean Mastrojohn.

But additional production might mean more job security at the Raeford plant, which opened in 1968 and now employs about 280 people. That plant, with two buildings totaling about 550,000 square feet, is located about 90 miles southeast of Raleigh. It also makes shampoos under Unilever brands.