HARRISBURG, PA
- The Furniture First Board of Directors approved three new members last week.
The newest members include Esprit Decor Home Furnishings in Chesapeake, VA,
Jensen Furniture in Luck, WI and Matlock Furniture in Durango, CO. Their
inclusion was preceded by the additions of Darsey's Furniture in Grapeland, TX,
Dungey's Furniture & Floors in New Hampton, IA, Larrabee's Furniture & Design in
Littleton, CO, Mountain Comfort in Frisco, CO, and Siker's Furniture & Carpet in
Eau Claire, WI this past February. Turner Furniture in Avon Park, FL was
approved for membership in April. These additions bring the membership
member rolls to 219 stockholders, with 459
storefronts in 47 states.
Sally and Bob
Christian opened Esprit Decor's doors in 1983 with the ambition to sell
high-quality home furnishings with a personal touch. What started as a small
family business has grown and today the Christians' children, Mark, Beth and
Ricky, manage and operate the store.
Family owned
and operated since 1956, Jensen Furniture serves Northwest Wisconsin and Eastern
Minnesota. The store's history is a long one that started in 1903 when Jacob J.
Jensen started his blacksmithing business in Luck. Since then, the Jensen
family business evolved from farm equipment to hardware, and from hardware to
furniture in 1956. Jensen offers one-stop home décor solutions, selling window
treatments and flooring in addition to furniture.
Matlock
Furniture & Mattress was founded by Walter and Blair Matlock. Walter started the
retail store after spending more than 15 years in the furniture industry, both
in retail and wholesale. The pair opened the store in Blair’s hometown, where
they have deep ties to the community. Offering in-home design services, Matlock
stresses, helps take the risk out of the purchase process, and assures that
their customers get just the right furniture for their homes.
Darsey's store
history stretches back over 129 years. Four continuous generations of the family
have been in retail, their current specialty being furniture. Their wide
selection of brands serves a large area of Eastern Texas.
Dungey's
Furniture was started in 1963, and business has been thriving ever since. The
store has expanded seven times to accommodate its growth. Founder Everett
Dungey's sons now run the family business, serving Northeast and North Central
Iowa with two showroom locations.
Larrabee's
Furniture & Design is a third generation Colorado retailer, founded in 1962 in
Boulder, Colorado by Lee Larrabee. In 1974, Scott and Carolyn Larrabee opened
Northern Colorado's largest gallery in Ft. Collins, Colorado. 51 years of life
in furniture has given the Larrabee's an eye for beauty, an appreciation for
family, and an utter insistence on quality.
Mountain
Comfort has been in business for 29 years and operates two locations, each
showroom specifically designed to cater to its local area. Both feature in-stock
lighting, furniture, accessories, rugs, and bathroom accents.
With 60 years
in business, Siker's offers high quality furniture to the community of Eau
Claire, WI. The store features an array of home and office furnishings for
living room, bedroom, home office, dining room, and more.
Turner
Furniture is in its third generation of family ownership since opening their
doors in 1951. It began as a complete home furnishings store, including large
appliances. As business grew, they focused more on furniture and decorating. In
2007, they opened a Clearance and Distribution Center to help with customer
convenience.
The
qualifications for membership in the national buying group result in a
high-quality cooperative. Furniture First only admits full-line independent
retailers. The average age of member businesses is more than 45 years. Stores
are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements. Most
members, whether they have a single storefront or a chain of locations, serve
the solid middle market of consumers, and many feature custom-order products.
Furniture
First's showroom will be open during the Las Vegas Market. Located in
A-810
of the World Market Center, the showroom will feature the products from several
of the group's approved vendors, and will include the group's high-margin
private label mattress line, Mattress 1st.
Furniture First is a national "Home Furnishings and Mattress" only buying group
serving the over $2 million full line independent retailer, representing $1.7
billion in retail sales. For more information on Furniture First Membership,
call Amanda Daubert, Vice President of Administration, at 800-411-3477, ext.
126 or email
ADaubert@FurnitureFirst.com.