Member Stories

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

Jordan's President Elliot Tattleman cuts the ribbon to the newest Jordan's store , the one in South Portland, Maine.
Robert Bell
Jordan’s opens its first store in Maine

There wasn’t the usual long line of shoppers waiting outside whenever Jordan’s Furniture opens a new store. But given the current pandemic, the crowd that showed up for the grand opening of the store’s new store last month in South Portland, Maine, was nice to see. Store officials did not

Image shows four women dressed in black
Doug Clark
Even in hotspots, furniture stores can operate safely

Political leaders in Houston and Harris County, Texas, want the authority to impose new lockdowns in response to rising coronavirus cases. Carolyn Blum said such orders shouldn’t apply to businesses like hers. “We are not part of the problem in any way, shape or form,” said the owner of Home

Image shows an artist's depiction of the hall of fame building
Doug Clark
Todd Wanek joins 2020 Hall of Fame class

Ashley Furniture Industries President and CEO Todd Wanek will take his place next to his father, Ron, in the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame. Todd Wanek is one of five current or former industry leaders who make up the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. They will be inducted

image shows a furniture store exterior
Doug Clark
Skandinavia Contemporary Interiors reopens in new location

Skandinavia Contemporary Interiors in Austin, Texas, reopened for business on Memorial Day. Unlike other retailers that were forced to close during the coronavirus outbreak, however, Skandinavia’s owners had been planning their reopening for two years. Shawn and Erika Olsen closed their store on Shoal Creek Boulevard in March, a couple

Image shows a woman on television
Doug Clark
Howard Lorton Furniture and Design withstands turmoil

When demonstrations turned destructive in downtown Denver last week, Howard Lorton Furniture & Design stood in harm’s way. “We have been vandalized. We’re wounded but we’re still open,” the 93-year-old business reported on its website. Its Facebook messaging was equally positive. “While we have been vandalized, we will be open

Sheely's
Robert Bell
After 68 years as a single store, Sheely’s doubles in size

After 68 years as a single-store business, Sheely’s Furniture and Appliance is expanding its footprint. The Home Furnishings Association member in North Lima, Ohio, will open a second store in September in Aurora, about 30 miles outside Cleveland. The new location is part of the company’s strategic initiative for growth

Image shows two men in the appliances section of their store
Robert Bell
Greenboard makes Simon’s Furniture run smoother during crisis

The plan was for Simon’s Furniture, Mattresses & Appliances to implement the web-based communications tool Greenboard in May to see how it helped unify a sometimes disjointed sales process. The coronavirus changed that. In March, with most of his staff furloughed and only himself, his father and an operations manager

Wayne (left) and David McMahon
Robert Bell
McMahons to retailers: Think about vendors who align with your new reality

Your furniture store isn’t the only operation about to reopen soon. Your manufacturers are gearing up as well. In the latest Home Furnishings Association Live Webinar, financial analysts Wayne and David McMahon from the accounting firm PerformNow told retailers that now is the time to reevaluate whom they do business

Image shows a man loading a chair onto a pickup truck
Doug Clark
Furniture retailers ‘think outside the box’

Since halting normal operations March 19, “We’ve been trying to think outside the box a little bit,” Rob Decker, sales manager for Outdoor Elegance Patio Design Center in LaVerne, Calif., says. “We can’t afford to close down with no end date in sight.” That means doing whatever business can be

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