February 2017

Front of the Boston Interiors store
Admin User
Boston Interiors to open store in New Hampshire

Longtime HFA member Boston Interiors is taking its act on the road. Store officials have announced the company is expanding and will be opening its first store outside of Massachusetts this summer in Bedford, New Hampshire this year. Boston Interiors opened its first store in 1979, and added six more

The Sofa Store logo on their building
Martin Roberts
What makes a good store logo? – Part 5

The Sofa Store: To stand out, keep it simple. Good branding communicates what you stand for as a business. That branding can be communicated verbally or visually. Retail designer Martin Roberts’ series on logo design’s he’s helped recreate for home furnishings retailers ends this week with The Sofa Store in

Money in a vice
Admin User
5 Things to Do When Your Store Hits a Cash Flow Crunch

Even the best and most profitable home furnishings stores can encounter a sudden cash flow crisis. It’s how they deal with it that separates the winners from the losers. As a responsible entrepreneur, you naturally forecast your cash flow carefully, but even then an unexpected bill or late payment can

Miller Waldrop store logo
Martin Roberts
What makes a good store logo? – Part 4

Good branding communicates what you stand for as a business; that branding can be communicated verbally or visually. When retail designer Martin Roberts met with the owners of New Mexico-based HFA member Miller Waldrop, he came away convinced the store needed to project the personal attention and style it offers

Hands bound by rope
Jonathan Schulman
The ties that bind

Constraints at your store can be good assuming you’re committed to breaking free from them. Since I’m up against my deadline, I’m glad I had the day I had in the field today because the topic for this column has been brewing in my mind for weeks. If you hang

Illustration of a person's mind
Gerry Morris
The Importance of Product Knowledge

(Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series. This month we look at how and why to learn product knowledge.) The foundational element and focus of sales training for most consumer products is the product itself, for obvious reasons. You can’t intelligently speak about products you don’t know

Dale Earnhardt
Wayne Rivers
The mistakes of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

(and what you can learn from it) The lure of the family business is powerful. I live in North Carolina, a state whose allegiance to NASCAR is like no other. In NASCAR, the predominant form of organization is the family-owned business—or at least the private, closely held businesses. However, just

George Perry
Robert Bell
George of all trades – HFA Member Profile: George Perry

Truck driver, salesman, floor sweeper. These days George Perry does a little bit of everything at Sherwood House Furniture. All of them with a smile. For every home furnishings worker who has fielded a call from a cranky customer demanding to know when the sofa they ordered three months ago

Leading vs Managing
Ginny Gaylor
The Difference Between Leading & Managing

Leaders are the heart of a store. Managers are the brains. Understanding the difference can help your business soar. Ask a furniture retailer their thoughts on the difference between leading and managing, and you’ll find not only does everyone have their own ideas, but they also possess a very strong

Chapin Store front
Martin Roberts
What makes a good store logo? – Part 3

Good branding communicates to customers what you stand for as a business. That branding can be communicated verbally or visually. We’re kicking off the first month of RetailerNOW’s e-weekly with a series featuring retail designer Martin Roberts, who will discuss the logos he helped recreate for four home furnishings retailers.

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