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I Help People Furnish Rooms They Love to Live In

How a Minnow size MOM & POP Furniture Retailer Survives in an Ocean of Bigger Fish I work for a small furniture retailer that's been in business since 1989. These days our competition comes from other local shops, retail chains with deep advertising pockets, Mega Big Box companies and online retailers. So how is this little store still surviving? 1) SPECIALIZING. We stay in our safe zone. America the Beautiful Dreamer was a regional bedroom furniture franchise. The Boise store, which Randy Shelton opened in 1989, carries mattresses, bedding, futons and kids' beds in addition to bedroom suites. Renditions Furniture began as a design oriented living room, dining room and home accessories store in 1999. Cherie Shelton introduced bespoke upholstered seating; unusual and one-of-a-kind handcrafted wood furniture that went against the grain of the polished, traditional looks existing stores carried. She emphasized quality over price; cozy over formal, and in doing so created a new niche. (Fourteen years later, Joanna Gaines would explode on the design world with her "Modern Farmhouse" aesthetic featuring many products Renditions carried in the early days.) 2) RELATIONSHIPS. Through the years Randy and Cherie have developed strong partnerships with the people who make our furniture. Most are family owned and operated enterprises which have a vested interest in our small store's success. Loyal customers have been the lifeblood of our business. For three decades and multiple generations customers have returned to where they are genuinely greeted, reminisced with and attentively served. (AI may have a great memory, but it doesn't care how the grandkids are doing in soccer.) 3) RESILIENCE. Through economic downturns, supply line delays, or unprecedented growth, being small has allowed us to be nimble. Being just big enough, has allowed us to be dependable partners with our vendors. When COVID hit, Randy met customers by appointment and immediately saw the shift in buying patterns and responded accordingly. As COVID wore on, buyers shifted again and Cherie adjusted immediately. 4) LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. Randy used to run ads to correspond with bonuses at a local manufacturer. We have close ties with our community and can meet needs that are too insignificant to profit big companies. 5) BEING GOOD FRIENDS WITH OTHER MOM AND POPS. We refer customers to each other all the time. None of us can be all things to all people, but all of us can strengthen our community by supporting local. Our Website: https://lnkd.in/giNfQVGE #buylocal #boise #smallbusinesssuccess

Home of Renditions Furniture and America the Beautiful Dreamer

Home of Renditions Furniture and America the Beautiful Dreamer

renditionsfurniture.com

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