Low cost ideas Part I

If you are like most Americans with having just come through one of the wealthiest times in our countries history… it’s a safe bet you have piled up quite a bit of “stuff”. Maybe you’ve moved into a new home and some of your old furniture didn’t quite fit the space you intended, so you stored it away or lent it to a family member. If so and you want to change the look of a room start going through all the items you have in storage or if you sold most of it start checking out some yard sales, with summer here I’m sure there are plenty happening all around you. It’s amazing what you can find and the cost will be next to nothing.

With some creativity you’ll turn an old beaten down piece of furniture from storage or a neighbors yard sale into a brand new “one of a kind” piece that’s perfectly suited for sprucing up and creating a new look for your room. Who knows… after you’ve put some creative work into it you may fetch quite a price on E-Bay when you decide it’s time to buy again.

Here are a few ideas:

Old quilts and blankets have great designs on them so use them as a slip cover for a chair or make some throw pillows out of them to spice up your old sofa. If you have one large enough, change the cushion seats on your kitchen or dining room chairs. After doing so I’ll bet you’ll have at least one friend ask if you’ve bought a new set.

Do you have an old Hall Tree? If so, spruce it up with a faux finish and put it in your little girl’s room as a vanity.

Old night stands and small chests make a great media stand for your flat screen TV Again, give it a new look with some paint or refinish it completely to match any room you choose to place it in.

If you have a good idea to share, please drop us a line and if we use it in a future e-mail we’ll give you the credit as well as send you a target gift card for your trouble.

Which furniture manufacturer is best for me?

This is a question many of us kick around when we are about to buy new furniture.  One that can get pretty interesting once you break it down.  Back in my Dad’s day you could buy completely solid oak bedroom set for 199.95 retail, Bassett made the one I’m thinking of and was as recent as 1975.  For a time during the 90’s you’d be hard pressed to find a completely solid wood bedroom set.  Even the most expensive manufacturers strategically placed MDF (maximum density fiber) board in areas of items that had very little stress placed on them to keep costs low.  Today with the popularity of overseas outsourcing and its cheap labor I’m seeing a lot more solid wood (or if it’s not solid it’s been very well hidden), but solid “what type of wood” is the question.  Well to be honest there’s no telling, most manufacturers use a variety of different hard woods that will absorb stain in a similar manor.  Products are still well built and will last but gone is the story of solid Ash, solid Birch, or solid maple. 

So what distinguishes the different furniture producing manufacturer’s and how are they similar?  I can only think of one main way they are similar, most if not all have overseas plants where their items are fully manufactured or partially built and finished in the states.  Where they differ is simple yet complex…  Brands are broken down in to three main categories by the furniture industry.  Promotional, Middle end, and High end, this is done mainly by the price of their items. 

Promotional manufacturers have a very low price point in the market, some of their bedrooms suits are what we call print wood where they take a type of particle board and basically wall paper it to get the look they want.  The living rooms suits are scaled down just a bit as well as less padding and wood in the areas where there is little to no stress,( usually the side panels and back of a sofa).  While these products are considered promotional they hold up very well and are great starter products for young couples and kids bedrooms. 

 You can find a 2-pc living room suit for under $799.95 with promotional brands and a bedroom suit for under $999.95. Most of the leather upholstery are bonded leather and married to the frames and priced as low as $799.95 for a sofa.

 Ashley Furniture got its start as a promotional brand and while they still have many products in the Promotional End they have crossed over into Middle End with their Millennium Collections.

Middle End is where things get interesting.  The best analogy is to think of it as our Middle Class; you have low middle, middle and upper middle.  All of the Middle End Manufacturers produce very good products, most of their cost saving happens in the finish process of the case goods and their upholstery cost saving comes in their simple yet popular designs and in their fabrics options. 

The Low Middle Manufacturer’s strongest price point is the $599.95-$799.95 sofa and their bedrooms suits strength is under $1999.95.  Leather upholstery is typically matched or bonded and normally pricing is around $999.95 for a leather sofa.  Vaughan Bassett and Ashley Furniture are a few of the Low Middle style lines but they do cross over into the Middle area.

The Middle Manufacturer’s price points span from $799.95-1099.95 in their sofas and $2999.95-4999.95 in their bedrooms.  Here you’ll find more fabric options and a bit more design in the upholstery.  Some of the more popular examples in the Middle End are Broyhill Furniture, Lane Furniture, Riverside Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Legacy Furniture, Lea Furniture and Universal Furniture.

The Upper Middle is high end for a lot of areas, prices on sofas start around $1299.95 and leather sofas are All Leather ranging from $1699.95 to $2599.95.  While a lot of the Upper Middle companies dip into the Middle areas their bedrooms suits typically run from $4999.95 to $8999.95.  Here you have a lot of fabrics to choose from and also fringe options.  Many have a Customer Own Material price where you can purchase your material elsewhere and send to the plant where they will put it on the sofa.  Examples of some Upper Middle lines are Kincaid Furniture, Lexington Furniture, Stanley Furniture, American Drew Furniture, Bradington Young, Sam Moore, Hooker Furniture and Bernhardt Furniture.

High End quite honestly is an area  I am still learning about, I’ve sat on a retail $24,000.00 upholstered sofa looked at a queen size bed, wardrobe and night stand priced retail for $50,000.00.  The key word in High End is Custom; you have a lot of options in many of the High End lines, and I’m not just referring to the upholstery.  You can customize tables, finishes, bedposts and many other items in bedroom and dining room collections.  High End is all about the story, while the basic construction is the same as in the Upper Middle End, you have finishing processes that have multi steps and may be hand rubbed.  The fabrics are some of the most exquisite designs and material on the market made by some of the most famed designers and the list goes on.  High End Companies spare no expense to create a story that will say to their customer… You’ve made it… You are elite and you deserve the best of the best…  And it shows in their prices.  Some examples of High End lines are Century Furniture, Marge Carson, Maitland Smith Furniture and Henredon Furniture.

So back to the question we started with.  Which manufacturer is best for me?  Well it all depends on you, where do you fall in the areas I’ve discussed?  You can find good quality that will last in every area and we purchase according our budget and view of what furniture is to us.  I personally have an item in my home from every area except the High End and I’m sure the day will come when I will have a High End item as well… probably after marriage…  I hope this has been helpful or at least interesting to read.

Truth about Retail

Truth about Retail

I can only speak from a furniture stand point on this but my guess would be it’s not much different across most retail establishments. There are three types of furniture business’s out there; the Big Chain, Big Independent and the Small Independent.

The Big Chain guy has multiple stores in multiple states, they succeed on perceived image or perceived low pricing which in many cases is an illusion. Typically if they spend a dollar on a product they sell it anywhere from 1.85-2.20. They use suggested retail pricing to compare to which is three times the cost of the product, some times four times the cost, thus if a dollar is spent suggest retail price is as much as 4.00. The Big Chains effectively use special financing to their advantage offering up to two years without interest. Often the Big Chain uses their buying power to squeeze their suppliers into cutting off the smaller stores and big independents local to them so their customers can’t price shop. The best way they protect themselves from price shopping is they get their suppliers to make certain collections exclusive to only them. Normally if you see something priced in a Big Chain Store it’s a safe bet you can find it cheaper elsewhere.

The Big Independent guy typically has multiply stores in one state or his state and a bordering state. In many cases they operate much like the Big Chain, they have enough buying power to affect the smaller guys in their area, keeping them from carrying certain collections or certain suppliers. While most of the Big Independents have the same pricing structure as well as offer attractive financing, they will at times come down to make the sale so there are certain situations where you can wheel and deal and get a lower price from the Big Independent.

The Small Independent guy normally has one store, at times two maybe three locations but most of the time he operates out of one building. There are some small independents that use the same pricing structure as the first two examples but this retailer is normally your best chance to get the lowest price. He will start his pricing at the 1.85-2.20 and come down from there, sometimes this type of retailer isn’t the most trustworthy. Because of his size he doesn’t need as many procedures and policies to guide his employees so trust your instincts and guard yourself by using a credit card when dealing with them.

Sales volume doesn’t really factor in to what types of retailer you are, while most of the Big Chains and Big Independents do millions in sales a month; there are some small independents who have reached similar sales volumes. I had a competitor many years ago who reached 28 million a year in sales volume out of one location. He was having so much success he felt he could branch out and open multiple locations, sadly after spending millions getting two more locations open and stocked he went out of business leaving many unpaid bills and unfilled orders. It’s easy to see why he tried it, he was bringing in so much in sales why not but my guess is he didn’t have the infrastructure, no how or operating cash to make a go at it.

Where are we in this mix? Well we are a happy Small Independent, and we sell our products for pennies on the dollar, if we pay one dollar we normally sell it for 1.35 which is where we need to be to make sure everyone can put food on the table and still keep the lights on. There are times when I may ask everyone to skip a meal for a big sale…
I never plan to have more than one show room and I have very modest sales goals, while 28 million in a year sounds wonderful I don’t want to be there unless I can still service and give my customers the attention they need. That said my short term sales goals are 5 million a year. If we can do this much a year in sales and still be the type of company that does all they can for their customer I’ll think about how to get bigger. This past year we saw a 20% increase in our sales and we are feeling the affects (a wonderful challenge to have), we are working hard to maintain our level of customer service while keeping our prices the lowest our customer can find. We did okay at it, but we weren’t where I’d like us to be when it comes to customer service. We can do better and we are working to make it happen.

Are the Big Chain’s and Big Independent’s ripping you off? The honest answer is no, they have a lot more overhead and expenses and they have to charge a higher price to cover and make a profit. I hope this little insight into Retail will help you have a better understanding when you shop for furniture.

Some of the line we carry, Broyhill Furniture, Hooker Furniture, Bernhardt Furniture, Kincaid Furniture, Lea Furniture, American Drew Furniture, Stanley Furniture, Magnussen Furniture, Legacy Classic Furniture, Legacy Kids Furniture, Ashley Signatures Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Pulaski Furniture, Bradington Young Leather, Action Lane, & Barcalounger

Best wishes to everyone this wonderful New Year!

A Good Night’s Sleep

There are many studies out there both for and against how many hours of sleep you should get each night to be healthy. We’ve been raised on 8hrs a night is what you need to be fully alert and healthy and for some folks I’m sure this is the case but there are studies that have raised the question is 8 hrs too much OR you can get all the sleep you need in just 5 hours while most disagree and argue on the 8 hr time they all seem to agree that 9 hours or more is not healthy and if you are one to sleep 9 or more hours you may even be shortening your life span. There are some scary statics but all agree you need a good nights sleep to have the most energy and get the most out of your day. According to some articles I’ve read if you are into working out and staying in shape a good night’s sleep will aid in recovery and help build muscle strength. While they may differ on exactly how many hours a night is a good night’s sleep they all do agree it’s important to your energy level and health to get a one. My take is it’s up to you how many hours that is, I work very productively on 7 hours a night and I make it a point to get my 7 hrs at all costs so whether your good night’s sleep is 8 or 6 these tips below published by the Mayo Sleep Clinic will guide you into a very restful nights sleep. I’ve added my own two cents to each on in bold just so you can distinguish my opinions from the Mayo Clinic.

By Mayo Clinic staff

1. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep more easily at night. Some articles I’ve read on exercise say following this tip will also increase your energy level.

2. Don’t eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner at least two hours before sleeping. If you’re prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the toilet.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn’t store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects. And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.

4. Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. However, for some people, exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.

5. Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan or white-noise generator, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs. I love this tip, and I would even take it further by saying don’t have a TV in the bedroom, your bedroom should be your getaway from the outside world where you can enjoy rest and your spouse or significant other. So if you’re into design create a wonderful sexy bungalow for the bedroom.

6. Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during mid-afternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body’s internal clock, doesn’t interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help awaken you.

7. Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that’s comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you. When choosing a mattress you should lay on it before buying it and ask if they have a 30 or 60 day trial period, it will normally take your body 30 days to adjust to a new mattress.

8. Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.

9. Go to bed when you’re tired and turn out the lights. If you don’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you’re tired. Don’t agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.

10. Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won’t interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills. I’m a health nut and I totally discourage any kind of sleep medication, so please try some natural ones first if you are having trouble sleeping like over the counter melatonin or herbal tea you’ll be surprise at how effective they are.

Something Special is about to happen

Have you ever been somewhere when something special was being created? You witnessed an idea come to life that changed everything for the better in your family or business, you were there when a beautiful song was being written or composed that became popular and you heard it on the radio and everyone was talking about it. Or it may have been something smaller on a more local level but still amazing in its own right. Now thinking back doesn’t it make you smile and feel special that you were present when great things, special things were being thought up or crafted>

I just finished watching the movie August Rush for probably the 5th time and just now noticed how everyone around the boy creating the music somehow felt special or better about themselves just by being there and witnessing his genus. Your experience may not have been watching a prodigy but even still I bet you have fond memories and feel proud you were there. Watching something special being created just doesn’t happen everyday but when they do the memory of it last forever, experiencing the creator working his or her magic and you not knowing what was going to happen with it but you sensed something special about it and it may have affected and touched millions or just a small few but it’s still pretty amazing to have experienced such a gift come to life.

I say all that to bring to light we are in the middle of such times right now in our country. For things in our economy to get better someone or many someone’s will be creating new and fresh ideas that will change the way we experience our world moving forward. New businesses or new products… maybe even just new ways to recreate old products cheaper or more versatile but none the less fresh and positively affecting our lives and economy. Who knows you may even be the creator, you may be sitting on an idea that’s waiting to be born. Sometimes it takes tragedy like losing something or someone to bring it out or you may finally act on some idea after being inspired by friends or family who believe in you. Whatever the case they will be happening all around us and to us so get ready, over the next few years we’ll be able to look back on these times as the beginning. The beginning of something special is where we are so look for it… its happening right now.

My guess for the furniture industry will be more multi functional items, or items that will fill more than one need in our home. We’ve already seen some of it come to life. Something new is some manufacturers are producing night stands that double for TV stands where the top draw will fold down like a computer desk keyboard tray and it has an outlet for your cable box. I’ve seen sofa tables double for flat screen TV stands in the living room as well. As we revert back to saving more and spending less items like this will be more and more popular.

Change in the Furniture Industry

With the economy being in the shape it’s in we are seeing a lot of “trimming the fat” in the furniture industry. Many collections that have either under performed, or cost too much to produce are being discontinued and inventory moved quickly. Our suppliers are also encouraging online ordering and checking order status to take the load off their already reduced customer service departments.
What does all this mean you may ask? Well first and foremost it means change. Our industry will be relying more on web base programs to operate is one change moving forward which will help stream line processing and maybe allow some new and innovative offerings in the future… only time will tell.
The other change is options/choices for you the customer… We will begin to see less fabric options and item choices due to production costs. Many sofa and living room suits will come with only a few fabric options or maybe even one way or “married” to the frame. Bedroom suits and dining room suits will not have as many extra pieces such as bedroom collections will not have two night stands or two different style chest or dressers to choose from. As for dining rooms with the growing popularity of casual dining we may see a drastic reduction in the amount of formal dining rooms available for purchase not to mention only one style of chair or storage item that will come with the collection.
But don’t get too upset just yet… One of the advantages of the World Wide Web is now more than ever our manufacturers can test out new furniture ideas with out spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on production to see if a new collection will be well received. This will help keep costs and thus prices down and hopefully the choices we once had in the booming economy won’t be missed as much due to only the most popular styles and items being built. Of course interior designers will not like this one bit, they thrive off being able to use different and unusual pieces to set off a room or area in your home… so once again… change… I think designers will be doing more antique shopping for their clients, maybe even altering items already owned by their clients to get the look they are aiming for.  Of course that will mean more creativity and interesting new looks, who knows where it leads in the design industry… but it’s exciting to think about.

Calling All Designers

Calling All Designers!!

I’ll be honest… I don’t watch or read the news these days so I’m not certain the media is only focusing on bad or negative things happening to us and the world; but it does seem only bad news is being talked about around the water cooler so my guess is that’s what’s being reported.

I firmly believe that our state of mind directly affects our current state of being and when bad things happen we tend to focus on them which seem to causes a multiple of other bad things to happen or at the very least we become or feel handcuffed and caught in a mental quicksand feeling powerless to pull ourselves out of whatever negative situation we may be in.

That being said I want to point out something you as a designer can do to lighten the mood for your clients. You have an amazing opportunity to change or help change the mood in our country with color. There are many studies out there about how colors affect the way we feel and even react. Blue and greens are calming and peaceful shades of yellow are cheerful and bright… you name the mood and there is a color that can enhance it… so I say it’s up to you designers. It’s up to you to do all you can to put depressed feelings on notice. You can brighten our walls and rooms and bring into our daily life meaning full color and energy. Take it upon yourself to learn what colors will brighten us up and design accordingly. Use the colors that will bring energy, peace, warmth and cheer into a room and thus into our daily lives. Make each room a place where the negative will have less of a chance to set roots and cause us to have feelings of despair and depression.

Use your favorite search engine and type in “color meanings”, “research info on colors” or just “colors” and see what comes up. There is plenty of research out there that will enable you learn what you need to achieve your mission of changing our mood… help us change our negative thoughts to positive grateful ones. We still have a lot to be grateful for by the way, we have friends and family who love us, over 90% of us that still have jobs, we have 94 % of us who are still able to pay our mortgage payment on time, we live in a country that will allow opportunities for us to create new businesses with new products or new ways to sell established products and services to each other (and with the internet) across the world.

So I say again… Calling All Designer’s… make it your mission to change our mood, brighten our daily lives with your expertise and knowledge of color and how it will help keep our minds in the right place.

Lunch with a friend

I was having lunch with a friend of mine who has been in the banking business for a number of years, he’s now in finance but he had some interesting data he threw out while we were eating.  You know 94% of Americans pay their mortgage on time… it took me a second for that to sink in, 94%??  That’s a high number I said, what about all the foreclosures and bank issues?  He stated that the number was in the 97-98% before all the trouble, so the drop off is significant but he had a great way of looking at it, 94% of Americans are on time with their home mortgage payments.  We went on talking about the economy and other things and it was brought up that during the great depression 30% of Americans were out of work, today that number is around 8 or 9% which is high but that still leaves 91% of us still working and bringing home a paycheck.  While I’m not trying to make light of the state of our economy I still think there is a lot to be thankful for.  Many are predicting it’s going to get worse before it gets better and my prayers are going out for all Americans worried about these uncertain times or struggling to find work, as well as my business and all the families it supports.  But in your worry don’t forget to remember you do have things to be thankful for whether it’s a loving family, church family, your health, a group of friends or a job that brings in enough to get you by.  Think on the positive and don’t allow the negative in the media to make things worse than what they are.  America will come back and we will get through this, but most of us have or will have a time of adjustment and hard choices to make in order to get to the other side but there is an “other side” waiting for us.

 

On a furniture note, we are still having suppliers drop collections without warning or notice and last month it accounted for a good bit of canceled sales.  We work very hard to bring in good leads for our sales staff and it’s frustrating for everyone when you’re able to provide for a customer wanting to purchase but your supplier comes up short.  I hope we are past the worst of it and everyone’s line up will be more stable moving forward but it got me thinking and looking around for “off name brands” suppliers to go to for certain price points and have the comfort of not depending on the big brand names as much.  That brings me to introduce our “Back Room”.  The back room of most furniture stores is where you’ll find limited quantity items, group pricing, and just all around good deals.  We have looked very hard to find suppliers we feel confident will make excellent quality products for your home.  You may or may not be familiar with some of their names but we fully back what we sell and feel confident it will last you for years to come.

 

Thank you again for choosing us for your furniture needs.

 

Sincerely,

 

Liston Gainey

President

www.furnituregeek.com

 

Kids Furniture

Kid’s Bedroom Furniture Online at Furniture Geek

Finding the right children’s bedroom furniture can be a challenge. You want furniture that is durable and adaptable as your child ages.  In addition, you want to make your child’s room as attractive as the rest of your home. Thanks to the discounted prices available at Furniture Geek, we have many choices for durable and affordable children’s bedroom furniture online.

Our selection of kids’ bedroom furniture includes many designs from Lea Furniture, and Legacy Kids two of the leading manufacturers of quality furniture for children. Lea Industries is a La-Z-Boy Incorporated company with moderately priced products available in designs to fit any decor While Legacy matches it step for step in quality and pricing. Appealing for boys bedroom and girls bedroom, our children’s furniture selections are designed for active kids. You’ll find everything you need, from a storage bookcase to vanities to dressers and chests. We also have many white bedroom styles to choose from

We know taking your youngsters on a shopping excursion to buy their bedroom furniture can be a trying experience for both you and your children. Going from store to store to compare styles, colors, and designs in furniture can become an exhausting search. With the convenience of online shopping, there’s no reason to leave the comfort of your home to choose the right bed and accessories for any child. View our products now to quickly find and compare pieces.

Buy Kids’ Bedroom Furniture That Lasts

If your child has limited bedroom space, but frequently invites overnight guests, a trundle unit is an excellent choice for convenient accommodation that allows floor space for playtime with an easy-to-use pull out bed when it’s time for sleep. A trundle unit is also an option for a guest room with limited space. Many of our kids’ bedroom furniture pieces are elegant enough to use in any bedroom.

 

At Furniture Geek, we have a digital catalog of many styles in children’s bedroom furniture, and we are available to make your online furniture purchase an enjoyable and hassle-free experience. Our qualified staff of customer-service representatives will assist you every step of the way. We’re always available to answer your questions or help you resolve any issues that might arise. For more information on our products or services, contact Furniture Geek.

 

Shop Our Top-Quality Children’s Bedroom Furniture Online

Enhance the atmosphere of your children’s bedroom with furniture that will last for years to come. We have youth furniture in wood finishes, such as country oak, harvest oak, cherry, and buttermilk white. From learning centers for computers and storage beds to four-poster canopy beds, there’s something for every age and interest.

 

For more information about any of our products or a specific piece of children’s bedroom furniture online, contact Furniture Geek. One of our customer-service representatives will be glad to respond to your inquiry. We’re available to make your furniture selection a fun experience. You can order kids’ bedroom furniture, master bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, and pieces for your whole home at Furniture Geek. Buy with confidence through our secure website.

 

Our kids furniture line up

Lea Bedroom “Lea Kids”

Legacy Classic Kids

Also Broyhill and Powell

Furniture and the times…

We had a great January, thanks to all of you who made purchases through us; we appreciate your business and will continue to work hard to keep you as a customer. Lately we’ve been running into a lot of discontinued items by many of our Manufacturers. Typically we do not get updated on all the drops, I’m not sure why but that’s how it’s always been. Normally we find out when we place the order so basically we find out when you find out. Over the past few months we’ve been having to refund sales due to items being dropped or collections being discontinued and no stock remaining. If you’ve experienced this we apologize for the inconvenience. Drops and Discontinued Collections come when our industry feels a slow down. Manufacturers cut back on the slow selling items so they can focus on what items bring in the profits. I’m sure it’s that way with most industries and I’ve experienced this before in furniture, manufacturers where trimming the fat or moving their plants or operations, but I’ll have to say I’ve never experienced it on such a large scale. Normally its one, maybe two manufacturer’s who are retooling, but because of the slow economy it seems almost all of our manufacturers have cut back on what and how many lines they are producing as well as staff and sales force.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out and if it will change the way we purchase furniture in the future. It could mean fewer choices, and less fabric options moving forward or it may just be a short term situation and everything will kick back normal. I don’t really have the answers I only know that changes are happening. One thing I am certain of is in time of economic slow down their will be a few that will not only stand out, they will thrive during it. There will be those out there who will not see this as a troublesome time as much as they will see it as an opportunity and in a time when customer service staffs are being cut back or automated they will offer premium service and premium products that will grab up market share and put the customer where they belong which is First. We are on the look out for manufacturers who will be keeping the customer’s interest as their main focus as we will be working harder to show you that you and serving you is the only way we can be successful in the years to come. Our prayers go out to those who have been hit hardest by this economy and hope they find the strength and encouragement to dust them self off and begin again. Many fortunes are made in times like these; the last severe recession brought us giants like Amazon.com and Ebay. Americans are a never quit kind of people so I hope and pray we will see many of those who have been hit hardest stand up and shine.