General

May 14, 2013

Specially negotiated prices on bedrooms, dining rooms, entertainment centers and more

NOVI, Mich. — Gorman’s Home Furnishings and Interior Design, the style leader in home furnishings, today announced that all four Detroit-area Gorman’s locations will host a Hooker Furniture sale on all the brand’s items starting May 17.

Sale items include bedroom and dining room furniture, entertainment centers and more. The sale ends at 5 p.m. on Memorial Day.

Any piece purchased will also be given six months interest free financing. Showrooms are located in Southfield, Lakeside, Troy and Novi, as well as Grand Rapids.

“Memorial Day weekend is the time to fix-up the house, so take advantage of half-off sale on all Hooker Furniture,” said Tom Lias, president and COO of Gorman’s. “The drastically reduced 50 percent off pricing is exclusively at Gorman’s.”

With a tradition of industry and community leadership since 1924, Hooker Furniture today is a complete home furnishings resource offering the world’s greatest selection of quality home entertainment, home office, accent, dining and bedroom furniture, as well as leather and custom seating.

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For more than 70 years, Gorman’s has been recognized as the original Michigan style leader in home furnishings. With a reputation built on a commitment to quality – quality merchandise and quality design – the company delivers all of the best brands, not just a few, at the best prices-regardless of price point. Gorman’s nearly 50 designers have a combined 1,000+ years of residential and office design experience using Gorman’s expansive resource area and textiles library. Both designers and clients can rest assured when working with this style leader. Everything is backed by Gorman’s “Must Be Right” service guarantee. Showrooms are conveniently located in Shelby (Lakeside), Novi, Southfield (Contemporary), Troy and Grand Rapids. For more information, visit www.Gormans.com.

For more information, contact:
Jennifer L. Cherry
Lauren Herrin
(248) 855-6777

May 7, 2013

High Point, NC, May 7, 2013 — The High Point Market has been named as a finalist for two Expo EXCITE Awards, one for Best Website, and one for Best Marketing Collateral for the Fall 2012 Fashion Focus campaign. The EXCITE Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in trade shows and events and are presented by Expo, the multichannel brand serving the trade show industry, providing insight, information and inspiration for show organizers. Last year, the High Point Market won the EXCITE Award for Social Media, beating out such top-shelf shows as CES and Comic-Con.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition for the High Point Market,” says Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of marketing for the High Point Market Authority. “The new web design, launched last summer, has provided amazing new tools and information that helps us connect exhibitors and buyers for this huge trade show. And the Fashion Focus campaign has been very well received, attracting a lot of attention and buzz for the High Point Market. We are thrilled to share this honor with our talented agency Emisare.”

The High Point Market website that launched in July 2012 makes it easier for marketgoers to create their schedule right on the website, using social media log-ins like Facebook and Twitter accounts. For exhibitors, the new site offers upgrades and enhancements to help them grab the attention of buyers and designers. Each company that shows at Market can gain Facebook “likes” and Twitter followers directly from its profile page on the site – High Point Market is one of the first trade shows in the country to feature that on its site. A new app will also be launched for Market this summer.

The Fashion Focus campaign was developed to highlight the link between fashion design and home design, and to showcase the High Point Market’s role as the most exciting event in home furnishings.

Campaigns developed by Emisare in collaboration with the High Point Market have won awards in the past as well. Recent awards include a 2011 Gold Addy Award for the Market’s campaign, an award sponsored by the American Advertising Federation to recognize excellence in marketing; a 2009 silver Addy for Mixed/Multiple Media; and a 2009 International Association of Exhibitions and Events Gold Award.

About the High Point Market Authority
The High Point Market Authority, www.highpointmarket.org, is the official sponsor and organizer of the High Point Market in High Point, N.C. Featuring an extensive selection of exhibitors spanning every category, style, and price point, and attracting tens of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries twice each year, the High Point Market is the driving force of the home furnishings industry. Find the High Point Market anywhere online, and follow on Twitter using the hashtag #hpmkt.

For more information, contact:
Cheminne Taylor-Smith
Vice President of Marketing
cheminne@highpointmarket.org
336.888.3227

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The American Home Furnishings Alliance will hold its annual education and networking event for marketing, communications and public relations professionals June 24-26 in Raleigh, N.C.

With an agenda dedicated to the home furnishings industry’s rapidly changing marketing needs, the program is titled, “Think Fast, Move Faster! Marketing Strategies and Tactics for Bottom-Line Results.”

Headlining the event will be the presentation of proprietary research presented by Design Research L.L.C as part of the firm’s “American Living Survey.” Titled “Beyond the Great Room,” the presentation will offer a quantitative look at how Americans are living in the modern family room – how they use the space, how they’ve decorated it and how they aspire to add to it in terms of function or furnishings.

The survey will examine the colors, styles, materials and finishes consumers want in today’s great room, and the results will be analyzed by demographics, regions, income and education.

In keeping with the “Think Fast, Move Faster” theme, successful social media marketing case studies will be presented, including one reviewing the multi-faceted launch of the HGTV HOME Furniture brand at Gallery Furniture in Houston.

Additional sessions offer management tips for making the most of personality differences in the workplace and the role of marketing in achieving business goals.

The Annual Marketing Meeting will be held at the Raleigh North Hills Renaissance Hotel, beginning with an opening reception and group dinner Monday, June 24. The business program will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25, and conclude with a half-day program on Wednesday morning, June 26.

Registration is $599 for AHFA members and $900 for non-members. It includes the program along with dinner June 24, lunch June 25, and breakfast both June 25 and 26. An optional group Dutch dinner is planned for June 25.

Rooms at the Raleigh North Hills Renaissance are available at a group discounted rate of $169 a night prior to June 6. Contact the hotel directly for reservations at 919/571-8773. Registration for the meeting is online at ahfa.us under EVENTS.

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The American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in High Point, N.C., represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, plus over 150 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide. AHFA is the home furnishings industry’s sole representative on Capitol Hill and elsewhere throughout the United States on legislative and regulatory matters that impact the industry.

For More Information:
Jackie Hirschhaut, 336-881-1016

April 2013

(continued from Culture that Rocks! A Q&A with Hard Rock’s former Director of Training)

RetailerNOW: What does a company’s culture say about a company?

Jim: The word “culture” tends to have a preconceived connotation that has evolved over the years where many still view this as a warm and fuzzy, nebulous concept. This ideal for many leaders is more of the softer side of the business that warrants little attention or respect. Perhaps it’s because it cannot be easily seen or measured and therefore is considered non-essential or even a hindrance to achieving top-notch business results… but they couldn’t be further from the truth. In a sea of sameness, brands have to differentiate themselves to have any real hope for sustainable growth. When you hear about culturally strong brands like Disney, Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Zappos, Apple or Five Guys Burgers, there is no doubt of the validity of their results in almost every area. Those organizations understand the pivotal role that culture makes in their long-term success. The brand’s image, which includes its culture, is the most critical asset to consistently creating differentiation from its competitors over time. They want you to identify their names and products with strong culture because it will eventually help to sell products or services. A strong company culture screams of differentiation.

RetailerNOW: Is culture a feeling, something that is written down, or both?

Jim: Absolutely, it is both. All companies have culture, whether it is written down and communicated or not, but the existence of a “feeling” occurs when a company’s personality is well defined. This can actually be good or bad, which is why it would be best to have the elements of the culture written down, so that it is easily understood—or else, people will interpret the brand and its intentions the way they want. In lieu of clear messaging, they will fill in the blanks and create confusion. Those organizations that recognize the importance of capturing the culture and recognizing its existence are the ones that create and communicate crystal clear direction on what the culture is and how it should thrive. One of the things I have noticed about Fortune 500 companies is that they communicate better than most. The most successful companies in the world have a shared mind-set. Therefore, one of the best ways to get everyone singing off the same sheet of music is to have the culture written down for all to see, adopt and exemplify. Regardless of the form of collateral, if the brand’s story, mission, vision, values, service experience, and the like, are clearly communicated and modeled, then it positions everyone to understand, live, teach, protect and perpetuate the culture. People are smart. They can feel the existence of a great culture, but there are a lot of nuances that go into making that culture come to life.

RetailerNOW: When hiring new employees, how should businesses evaluate if a candidate fits in their culture? 


Jim: I would start with how their personality resonated during the interview; are they smiling, do they seem passionate, do they make me feel good when I am around them? In today’s business, you hope to ensure every employee has all three C’s: Competence, Character and Culture, but only one of these have visible metrics and a history that can be quantified… competence. It becomes the default easy focus because that’s what employers are comfortable with, so it’s the one they rely on the most. That’s why there always seems to be a huge need to narrow in on a candidate’s experience. In reality, most jobs are not hard to teach, but you cannot train someone how to naturally smile or authentically provide stellar experience. These have to be behaviors an employee will bring to the party. If I were interviewing a candidate, I would care less (if at all) about experience or skill and focus all of my questions on answers that would reveal character & cultural traits. Questions would certainly be open-ended and behavioral, but also situational in nature. I would try to get to the heart of how an applicant would create an experience that matches my culture. I would ask questions that would test their integrity and decision-making. I would look for language and cues that would reveal to me their intention to commit to the brand’s mission or just comply to the company’s policies. Hiring is certainly an art form, but it’s one of the greatest skill-sets a true culture catalyst can develop.

RetailerNOW: How do you motivate your employees to ensure they are providing the best service possible? 


Jim: You strategically pull every lever and incent people like they’re rock royalty. There certainly is something to be said for building in some physical reward mechanisms into your organizational culture. This could be collectible pins or gift cards to be handed out when great service is observed. Most people like public recognition in front of their peers, which then leads to overall morale and repeat performance by the employee and others. You could put a “point” system into place where, as people do certain things above and beyond to create experiences, they get a certain amount of points to eventually buy from the company “store” or choose their own reward, such as paid days off. I have seen staff-on-staff recognition also work well. This is where you implement a process, like a pad of paper for employees to take, fill out and then post in a staff common area where they recognize each other for great service or teamwork. Once in place, this self-managed program will take a life of its own. You could also tie performance appraisal metrics and pay increases to customer service scores and experiences, knowing that what gets measured gets done. However, nothing beats the old-fashioned and free “thank you.” The more opportunities that you can thank employees for the phenomenal work they do in this area, the better.

RetailerNOW: What’s one thing most people forget when maintaining their culture? 


Jim: That it fundamentally is about human beings, not systems, processes or tools. Surround yourself with an army of giants—people who are so committed to the brand that it becomes a lifestyle for them versus a job—and you virtually ensure the continuation of the company’s culture. Personally, I have become a systems guy, in that I see the value in having solid and proven practices in every area of the business put into place and fostered. The assumption would be that if you could get those processes to work the way they are supposed to, they would garner desired results. But if the processes are then populated with people, who have the awesome human endowment of “Free Will” and are going to choose to do what they want to do, then you must ensure you hire and retain the right talent. The more employees you have on the team that are not part of the tribe, the harder it will be to maintain the culture.

RetailerNOW: How does a company’s culture trickle down to the customer?

Jim: I actually think it bubbles up to the customer. Maybe that’s just semantics, but I equate a company’s culture to that of an iceberg. The analogy being that what the guests see above the surface is really only 10 to15 percent of the entire iceberg. That certainly is the part that matters in business for the consumer, but it’s the 85 to 90 percent that lies below the surface that makes the difference. The massive bulk of the iceberg, hidden below the water’s surface, represents the internal culture of the company. The mission & values, past experiences and heritage, the commonly held beliefs, the organization’s systems, processes and tools… all of that collectively makes up the brand’s infrastructure. Whether it’s strong or weak, it eventually percolates up to the surface level for the entire outside world to see. People’s behaviors are what matters. As we develop a robust internal personality for the organization, the true nature and feelings from the employees bubble up to the guests’ view. To revolutionize a company’s culture, it always starts from the inside—within the heart and soul of the brand. 

Jim Knight is a nationally known speaker that helps companies find and attain their “rock star” status. His journey started with the hopes of one day becoming an airline pilot (since that is what an assessment test at the age of 12 told him to do) and led to an array of jobs from selling fish at a gator farm, to cooking pizza and even landscaping. He eventually discovered he loved to perform and went to college on a Music Performance and Education scholarship. Jim graduated with his teaching credentials and became a middle school teacher, assuming he would be there for life. During the same time, he took a nighttime summer job at a Hard Rock Café, as a staff-level restaurant host. As his passion and commitment for the Hard Rock brand grew, he began to take on more responsibilities, eventually landing in the role of leading the brand’s global training and development efforts for all cafes, hotels and casinos. What started out as a summer gig, eventually turned into a 21-year love affair with a single brand.

April 18, 2013

Roseville, CA: The new North American Home Furnishings Association (NAHFA) board of directors officially comes together for the first time in New Orleans, June 1-4, 2013, at the Home Furnishings Industry Conference (HFIC). Events and celebrations are scheduled each day to share the journey that led to the merger and to discuss and unveil the purpose and future direction of the organization.

Preceding the conference on June 1, the organization will hold its first board meeting where directors and members will work together to build on a foundation that creates a member-centric future. “We have developed collaborative teams, with the direct input of our retailers, to focus on the core needs our members say are critical to their business and success,” said Sharron Bradley, Executive Director. “These teams will ensure that our direction remains relevant and impactful to those we serve.”

The Collaborative Teams:

• Regional strategy: The creation of opportunities to gather and meet in a variety of ways on a local basis.
• Member relations: Mentoring, customized materials and resources specific to member needs.
• Technology: Information and resources on all things digital, new data collection, education to help members adopt today’s technology and information on what’s next.
• Consumer relations: Voluntary code of ethics, national branding, creating the ideal customer experience in stores for today and the future.
• Next Generation NOW: Building our industry’s future by engaging our youth in the home furnishings industry and attracting more young people to join. Prove to young people that our industry is cool, exciting and fun.
• Advocacy: Provide a single industry voice across the nation and in each state on industry issues and work in coalitions to impact the policies that affect each and every business. Making advocacy interesting.
• Industry relations: Working more collaboratively with vendors and other industry groups to reduce fragmentation.

After the board meeting concludes, the HFIC gets underway with more information and celebrations for the attendees. A town hall with key members of the board will provide the opportunity to discuss the industry as a whole and how at every level, improvements can be achieved. A new video featuring members and leaders will be unveiled and the final night Masquerade Ball will feature several “suspenseful” surprises.

“We are very excited about the new business model the NAHFA is developing. I can’t imagine not being invested in something that will have such an impact on the future of the industry. I encourage all retailers to become involved and join us in this process and at the HFIC,” said Howard Haimsohn, President, Lawrance Contemporary Furniture, San Diego, CA, and NAHFA Executive Chairman.

Join the celebration and the discussions by registering at www.theHFIC.com.

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About the North American Home Furnishings Association:
North American Home Furnishings Association is the nation’s largest organization devoted specifically to the needs and interests of home furnishings retailers. The organization’s membership will encompass more than 10,000 stores in all 50 states and several foreign countries. Providing a unified voice, the organization will allow those in the industry to work more cohesively as well as increase negotiating power and cost efficiency. Three offices will serve the organization with locations in the east, west and central United States. An impressive array of plans include a new website, a bold new publication (launched last spring), enhanced regional interaction, fresh educational offerings, innovative best practices resources and data, and exciting opportunities for impactful involvement in the new trade community.

April 2013

The RetailerNOW App is here!

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Available now in Google Play (smartphone and tablet devices), and coming soon to the App Store for iOS (iPhone and iPad).

Read this quick tutorial so you can receive all the latest content, right at your fingertips!

Created by our amazing partners at 

April 2013

“Please no lines before 9 a.m.” So states HW Home’s Annual Warehouse Sale invite—as it should. Starting 12 years ago, the HW Home Annual Warehouse Sale is the must-attend sale for anyone in the Denver Metro area seeking high-end products at unbelievably great rates. “The line forms at nine and by 10 a.m., 300 to 400 people are waiting for the doors to open,” says co-owner Ron Werner. The line is a testament to the successful brand Ron Werner and Jim Hering have created since the inception of the company in 1999.

Prepped with their best power-shopping shoes and tape measures, customers eagerly line up outside a temporary location, which has been transformed into an impeccably styled showroom, to receive as much as 75 percent off furnishings, accessories and accents from HW Home’s best vendor partners. Hot coffee is handed out to those waiting to keep them warm while standing outside in the cold February air. As the front doors open, the first in line get a glimpse of what is in store—this isn’t just a sale; it’s an event.

Experience is what started Ron and co-owner Jim Hering on this journey 15 years ago. A visit to Ron’s sister in Boulder, Colorado led them down an unexpected path. Ron and Jim were in town helping Ron’s sister and her husband make some selections for a new home they had purchased. After a few days of shopping, an idea started to brew in Ron’s head and he said to Jim, “Hey, we should move to Boulder and open up a home store.” Jim laughed it off, thinking he would never leave the life they had in Chicago, but a little while later, Ron said, “We should move to Boulder and open a store.  We’ll call it HW Home.”

“Jim looked at me and said, ‘Are you serious?’ I said yes. Twelve years as a stockbroker has left me kind of fried. You are running Holly Hunt’s business and not necessarily where you want to be. So let’s move here and open a business. That was the original genesis of HW Home,” said Ron.

They extended their stay in Boulder and set forth on some old-fashioned research, determining the demographic make-up of the area, possible competition and what the projected economic future was for the area. “When we were done, we realized that not only was Colorado a beautiful place to live, it was void of anything close to the sophisticated home store we had in mind,” Ron said. “For that matter, the concept of a true lifestyle boutique furniture store with an impeccably curated assortment was few and far between anywhere in America.”

Ron and Jim sat down to create a business plan, which included an executive summary, narrative, description of the business and financial projections. If you were to read the company’s business plan and visit any one of HW Home’s three stores, covering a 55-mile span in the Front Range of Colorado, you would see it actually come to life.  The only area of the business plan that would be slightly off is the financial projections. Within 30 days of opening in 1999, HW Home had already done more business than they expected to do in the first six months. It was an instant success.

Fourteen years later, the HW Home team has survived one of the toughest economic downturns in modern history and are now thriving. “We strive daily to set ourselves apart from our competitors. We need to look better, be better and deliver more than others. HW Home lives in the YES, exceeding our customer’s expectations in every way imaginable,” Jim said.

Pictured above Jim Hering & Ron Werner

To exceed customer’s expectations, HW Home offers clients a home furnishings boutique with design center style and quality at retail accessible price points with product in-stock for immediate delivery—all of which was detailed in their original business plan. “Our stores are 7,500 square feet—we are not the 50,000 square foot furniture store, and we are not in the business of collecting every line and brand out there. By limiting our stores to 7,500 feet, we have to be very selective and focused on what we purchase, how it is managed and how it is presented.

Each store is uniquely designed and tailored to the local neighborhood. Aspirational vignettes are created to excite and inspire the
customer. Old maple wood that was once used in a tobacco processing plant flanks the floors and is mixed with onyx walls, creating unique textures and styles, a flawless, yet comfortable setting. Ron added, “We have always said that we want someone to walk through our store, put their hands on their chest and say, ‘I want to live here.’ That is success to us.”

HW Home not only hopes to “wow” their clients by an innovative and flawless aesthetic, they want their service and experience to resonate with their clients. One of their primary philosophies is to provide an exceptional experience from beginning to end. Ron has a theory that it takes five visits for a customer to finally purchase from HW Home. “I have to make sure I don’t lose you on the third visit. I have to keep you returning to the store and ensure that we deliver outstanding customer service on each and every visit.  Our stores need to be a place that is fun, interesting, and exceedingly comfortable. If we are successful at doing that, you will be both our customer and our promoter.”

HW Home also believes in giving back to the community around them. Their good friend and industry partner, Mitchell Gold said, “For Ron and Jim, running their business is so much more… It’s being active in the community and being a part of their customers’ lives.  Just as important—if not more so—is the immense amount of time they spend trying to help others with their substantial charity work. Ron and Jim just do not talk about things they care about; they react.”

Ron and Jim have made an impact in the community around them. Both serve on numerous boards, including the Matthew Shepard Foundation, National Home Furnishings Association, Accessory Resource Team (ART), The Riverfront Park Community Foundation, and The Alexander Muss High School in Israel. They also support numerous charities through cash and in-kind donations and open their stores to host charity events on a regular basis. Each year they partner with a local furniture bank to pick up customers’ old furniture and distribute it to families in need. In a typical year, they will deliver more than six 53-foot truckloads of furniture to the furniture bank. They are also strong advocates for their furry friends, by partnering with the Boulder Humane Society during the Annual Warehouse Sale.  In the last eight years, over 100 animals have been adopted during the event.

Their list of accolades and honors is almost as long as the various charities they support. They are past recipients of the WHFA Retailer of the Year award and a four-time recipient of the ARTS Awards. Local and national publications have named HW Home “Best of…” in various categories no fewer than 20 times. Of course, being named the 2013 National Home Furnishings Association Retailer of the Year is one of their top honors. “Of everything we have done in the last 15 years since we first opened our doors, this is the single greatest piece of recognition,” Ron said. “To receive this award from the oldest and most established industry association, for them to recognize us for doing a good job in the industry, for our excellence, for how we take care of our customers, and for being a role model in retail—it is the highest honor we could ever receive. It is truly a wonderful achievement for us and we are humbled.” 

April 2013

Randy was abruptly put in the lead role of Coconis Furniture in 1981 when his dad became seriously ill. While succession wasn’t a new thing to the Coconis family, this sudden illness caught them off guard and threw Randy, then a salesperson, into a role he wasn’t prepared for. “I really didn’t know much about running a business,” he said. “I relied on my reps and other friends in the business to learn and make business decisions.”

Even though the transition was abrupt, Randy took the lead and continued to build the company’s successful foundation. Randy’s grandfather, Nick Coconis, opened Zanesville Furniture Company in 1927 in downtown Zanesville. An immigrant from Greece, Nick arrived in America unable to speak any English. “The first three days he was in America, he only ate apple pie and drank coffee, because those were the only English words he knew,” Randy added.

The second generation of owners, Randy’s father Paul and uncle Don, took over the business in 1953, and changed the name to Hallmark Furniture. A new 5,000 square foot store was opened in South Zanesville, which is where it still currently resides. When Randy and his brother Paul Jr. (a silent partner) took the reins in 1981, the business began to see substantial growth. In 1986, the store name was changed again, this time to Coconis Furniture. “We ran a marketing campaign saying that the store’s name changed to what it should have been the whole time,” Randy added.

That same year, Coconis Furniture added on a warehouse, which quickly became more showroom space. The business continued to expand, and today it features a 70,000 square foot showroom that spans one city block. “There is no more space for us to grow,” Randy said. “We now have a 30,000 square foot warehouse across the street, which is state-of-the-art, 40-feet high and racked.”

Pictured above from left: Bo Coconis, Chad Coconis & Randy Coconis

Today the fourth generation has now entered the business, with Randy’s sons Chad and Bo working by his side to learn the operation. They strive to make a relaxed in-store environment that is exciting for customers to visit.

When you walk into Coconis Furniture, you instantly feel comfortable with a laid back feeling felt throughout. Children can enjoy a kid’s play area, or cruise around with mom and dad using their own kiddie carts. Ole’ Paul’s cafe is set up to serve refreshments and provides a place to recharge during the shopping experience. The showroom is set up in departments to make it easy for someone to find exactly what they are looking for. “We departmentalize everything, so we show all of our living rooms together, dining rooms together, bedrooms, etc.,” Randy said. “We have a few lifestyle pods, but I have always believed that if a customer wants to buy a dining room set and they come into our store, they don’t want to have to walk by 30 living rooms and 14 bedrooms as they shop for dining sets.”

Since the store was added onto several times over the years, it naturally lends itself to departmentalizing products into categories since separate rooms have been created by the new additions. Within each category, vignettes have been set up so the customer can imagine how the products will look in their home. Focusing on the mid-priced point consumer, Coconis Furniture offers everything from Ashley to Flexsteel. “Zanesville and Southeast Ohio is the edge of Appalachia, so our customer is looking for that mid-price range product. The average per capita is drastically different here than it is in Columbus. We have to make sure we offer a product that our customer can afford. Of course, we also have customers that are from Columbus, so we have to have products for them as well. It is difficult trying to be all things to all people. That is one of the reasons why we have 70,000 square feet, because you need a lot of square footage to please everyone,” Randy added.

Each product has been tagged and priced to help empower the customer as they shop. Randy implemented a two-tiered pricing strategy years ago, which features two prices on the tag, a finance price and a cash price. “Many times stores will tell you if you are paying with cash, they will give you a 10 percent discount,” Randy said. “We like to show our customer the savings. So for example, a tag on a sofa will have a finance price of $658 and a cash price of $598. The cash or credit card-paying customer, which is nearly two-thirds of our customers, sees what they are saving right away and they like it. The financing customer doesn’t care about the price; they care about their monthly payments. The program has been very successful, and I know of at least 50 stores across the country that have implemented this pricing strategy after learning about it through my performance group or buying group.”

Randy credits his success mainly to his employees and the level of service they provide. Many employees have been with the company for more than 20 years and work hard to create the welcoming environment that customers have come to expect, and love. When looking for new employees, Randy would much rather hire a good personality than someone who has industry experience. His reasoning is, he can teach furniture, but not personality. “Being in a small community, we are a pretty good place to work. People that come here don’t leave unless we make them. Without our great employees, I wouldn’t be receiving this award because they are a part of our success,” he said.

Great personalities help the team provide exemplary service to their customers, something that Randy’s father taught him, “My father always taught me to take care of your customers and keep them happy. We can’t keep every customer happy, but we can keep the majority of them happy, and we will bend over backwards to meet our customer’s needs.”

Along with taking care of his customer, Randy and Coconis Furniture generously give back to the local community. Randy has been involved in numerous organizations, including serving as a volunteer fireman and sitting on the local City Council. He currently serves on the board of the American Red Cross and is a 25-year member of the Sertoma Club, a local service club in his community. In 2011, Randy was awarded the prestigious “Dick Johnson” Community Service Award, which is the highest achievement of anyone in the community. “It is sort of similar to the Retailer of the Year award but it is focused on people giving back to the community. It was really an honor. Next to this, it was probably the biggest honor I have received in my life,”
he added.

With everything Randy is involved in, he hopes to start scaling back in the next few years. Retirement, traveling and boating, are on his mind. He is molding Chad and Bo to take over the business and continue it on its path of growth.

“I am pulling back more and more,” he said. “I hope in three to five years I can retire and Chad and Bo will be operating the business, growing it and taking it to the next level. And I hope to be in Florida—I am an avid boater. I also love to golf and travel and hope to spend even more time with my family
and grandchildren.”

As for being named one of this year’s NHFA Retailers of the year, he said, “It is quite an honor to receive the top award in the home furnishings industry. For us to be barely over $10 million in annual sales and to be listed next to the past large store winners, it is amazing. When I look at the list of past winners, it is filled with retailers and friends that I have looked up to my entire life, and now to be considered on the same level is pretty awesome.” 

Randy Coconis, Coconis Furniture
South Zanesville, OH

Industry Involvement
Along with Randy’s numerous community involvements, he is highly involved in the home furnishings industry. He is currently serving as a board member of the National Home Furnishings Association and has been newly elected to the new North American Home Furnishings Association board. He also sits on the board of his Furniture First buying group and is an active member of his performance group.