The HFA community has lost a true industry leader and friend in the passing of MOR Furniture founder Richard Haux, Sr. Rick passed away on November 5, 2020, at 74.
Rick attended and graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Accounting and began a career in Accounting with Haskins & Sells, at the time, one of the Big 8 Accounting Firms in the country. Rick’s core circle of business contacts started at Haskins and Sells but quickly expanded once he became a major player in the Home Furniture Industry. These first contacts turned into lifelong friends and business partners. The list is long. It includes Michael O’Leary, Allan Koljonen, Patti Strube, Frank Imbrie, and Rob Kelley. This being the 70s and with his penchant for doing things “his way,”; Rick, of course, got involved with waterbeds with his buddies. Starting Waterbed Emporium, a string of small, waterbed only stores throughout San Diego, California, which then stretched to the Pacific Northwest, starting in Spokane, Washington. This first non-California Waterbed Emporium is still one of MOR Furniture’s flagship stores on Division Street in Spokane!
The Waterbed story is where it all began. Rick joined forces with Jack Poe to create Poe Advertising, Inc. to do advertising for the fledgling Waterbed chain, while Frank Imbrie went to Phoenix and turned Sun Valley Waterbeds into a huge 100 store chain in Arizona. In 1987, Frank passed, and Rick moved to Phoenix to assist with reorganizing Sun Valley Waterbeds, returning it to a viable entity. Poe Advertising handled the advertising for Sun Valley.
While the Sun Valley portion of the story was playing out with a chain of stores throughout the United States, Poe Advertising was in its infancy, and Rick Haux, Jr. was busy getting the Bedroom Superstore concept started. Poe Advertising was right there in place to handle the advertising needs. As the Bedroom Superstore grew, first into Superstores of America and finally into MOR Furniture for Less, Inc., Poe Advertising has been there to support and assist with their advertising.
Poe Advertising will continue on with Rick Haux, Jr. at the helm going forward.
His spouse survives Rick, Lisa and his former spouse, Carolyn, His son, Richard (Rick, Jr.), and his spouse Janine, Rick Jr’s children: Madeline, Nathan, and Elissa, and five great-grandchildren, His son, Jeffrey (Jeff) and his spouse, Evi and, Jeff’s children: Ryan, Zachary, and Luke.
Rick was honored on December 8 with a military funeral and was interred at Miramar National Cemetery. The military service was extremely small, limited only to family. We will be organizing a Celebration of Life for Rick in the new year. Details will be forthcoming.
For those of you who wish to express your sympathy/thoughts, the Haux family has requested donations to the following charities in lieu of flowers:
