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David Berggren stands on the ground where his fifth furniture store will be built in Clarksville, Tenn.

Policy Matters

Tennessee looks at liability protection

David Berggren has implemented strong safety measures in his Clarksville, Tenn., furniture stores. Every employee reporting for work must pass a wellness checklist and temperature screening. Everyone, including customers, must wear face coverings. Everything is cleaned every two hours and overnight. Yet, the owner of Home Furnishings Association member Furniture Connection, as well as two Ashley HomeStores and a Furnish, still has to worry about potential legal actions if anyone claims to have been infected with COVID-19 in one of his businesses. That’s why liability protection is so important to him. [HFA member Berggren breaks ground on fifth store] The

August 10, 2020

News

Registration opens for fall High Point Market

The High Point Market Authority has opened online registration for the Fall 2020 High Point Market, scheduled for Oct. 13-21. The authority is also debuting a microsite, www.highpointmarket.org/hpmktsafe, to outline safety measures pertaining to the fall market in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Previously announced as a 9-day market as the first part of the #HPMKTsafe Initiative, this revised structure will allow for social distancing and expected reduced capacity requirements within buildings and showrooms. During the registration process, domestic buyers and industry guests will select their primary attendance period based on the designated region for the home state of

August 7, 2020

Policy Matters

Urge Congress to act now

As Congress and the administration debate the details of a new coronavirus recovery bill, Home Furnishings Association members must make their voices heard. They must tell senators and representatives to support provisions that will help their businesses overcome the challenges that COVID-19 still presents. The HFA urges them to ask for: A liability shield The plan presented by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week includes a five-year shield that would protect businesses from legal liability for COVID-related claims unless a plaintiff could prove both gross negligence and a violation of state and local public health guidelines. The measure would

August 7, 2020

Image shows a man wearing coat and tie standing in a furniture showroom

Shop Talk

At 100, Darvin sees a bright future

If you’ve been in business for a century, you’ve pushed through some hard times. “In the same spirit of overcoming past challenges, we’ve overcome this one,” Darvin Furniture & Mattress President Will Harris said in a recent conversation. Strict stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis kept Darvin’s store in Orland Park, Ill., just outside Chicago, closed for more than two months. But it never stopped doing business – good business, in fact. The company already had a successful website and strong digital engagement with customers, but that “dramatically increased” through April and May, Harris said. One idea: Darvin set up

August 7, 2020

Policy Matters

Give more retailers a second chance at loans, HFA asks

Furniture stores should get a second chance if the Paycheck Protection Program is extended, the Home Furnishings Association has told Senate leaders. The HFA joined other business groups in asking for improvements to the proposed Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act. The bill, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), could be folded until a new relief package. It would allow qualified firms to receive a second Paycheck Protection Program loan. As the measure is currently written, however, borrowers would have to show a decline in revenue of at least 50 percent from

August 6, 2020

Image shows a graphic of two people are a wall of tax terms

Policy Matters

California furniture stores don’t need higher taxes

Many furniture retailers in California were hit hard by business closings and other restrictions triggered by COVID-19 outbreaks. The last thing they need is a tax increase. But that’s what a bill pending in the State Assembly would give them. AB 1253, introduced last year to create local grant programs, recently was overhauled by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago of Las Angeles. Now it imposes a retroactive surcharge on taxable personal income over $1 million. Many small businesses pay personal income taxes as sole proprietorships. Santiago replaced the original content of AB 1253 with language that raises tax rates retroactive to Jan.

August 5, 2020