Shop Talk

Sign advertising seasonal hiring
Robert Bell
Hiring for the holidays? Here are tips to protect you

Shoppers like to complain that holiday decorations appear earlier and earlier. Retailers have their own seasonal lament: There’s no one to hire for the oncoming rush of those shoppers. With unemployment at near-record lows, retailers are pulling out all the stops to ensure they have enough workers come December. Companies are

The Canadian Furniture Show canceled its 2020 event following years of declining attendance from retailers and manufacturers alike.
Robert Bell
HFA members in Canada lament loss of show

Home Furnishings Association retailers in Canada are lamenting the loss of the Canadian Furniture Show, their country’s only furniture market, but they’re not surprised. After 47 years, organizers of the Canadian Furniture Show canceled the 2020 event. The show, annually held in May in the International Centre just outside Toronto,

HFA member Joaquin Rodriquez and his store. Hacienda Furniture, does a robust business with Hispanics in Oxnard, Calif.
Robert Bell
Connecting with Hispanics: How one HFA member does it daily

The face of the retail furniture consumer is changing. That’s because America is changing, too. There are 131 million multicultural Americans in the United States today, according to a Claritas report earlier this year. Those Americans make up 37.5 percent of the U.S. population with Hispanics accounting for the largest

David McMahon
Robert Bell
Forecasting your business for 2020 starts now

Marathons are a lot like running a furniture store. It’s important to finish strong. In the HFA’s Fall Insights magazine, David McMahon offers furniture retailers advice on the final push. But that’s just the start, says McMahon. Here he offers some tips on forecasting for the next year. Retailers can

Tax change will hurt business, retailer says

By Doug Clark Brian Gaines has survived a business failure and a medical crisis that put him in a coma for several days. He learned that “fear has four letters, faith has five. Faith is greater than fear.” But now the owner of Home Furnishings Association member Wall 2 Wall

Needing space to grow, Serrano’s Furniture will move to mall

Home Furnishings Association member Serrano’s Furniture is growing again. Only this time the company with eight stores in California’s San Joaquin Valley isn’t adding a store – it’s moving one to a larger location.  The company’s Hanford store has outgrown its 12,500-square-foot downtown building and will move to the Hanford Mall where it will take over a portion of

City aims for zero carbon footprint by 2040

Putting its decades-long green leadership to the ultimate test,  Home Furnishings Association member City Furniture this week announced an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2040. City Furniture’s 2040 Green Promise encompasses the company’s showrooms, warehouses, and offices. It also includes its statewide delivery fleet and massive recycling initiatives, according

Firing Someone
Rob Starr
The Best Ways to Fire Somebody

It’s hard enough letting someone go. Here’s how to make the situation better for both parties. “You’re fired!” In another life, our 45th president made quite a name for himself with those two words. Of course, it’s never that easy to let an employee go, so if you find you

Ready Set Grow
John Graham
Enhance your company culture by first expanding your employees’ roles

There’s nothing more amazing than the endless incidents of mind-bending screw-ups by otherwise successful businesses. Every employee has stories, ranging from miscalculations and costly errors of judgment to downright avoidable mistakes [Smith Village employees are rewarded with keys to store] It doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Years ago,

Furniture spending graph
Home Furnishings Association
Millennials account for a greater share of furniture spending

Millennials – Americans 22 to 37 years old – are increasing their share of consumer spending. They aren’t neglecting furniture and bedding, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS reports in its newest Consumer Expenditure Survey that from 2014 to 2017, Millennials increased their share of overall furniture

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