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Finding Peace

By Home Furnishings Business in on June 2012

We live and work in a hurry-up, go-get-em, 24-7 kind of world. Furniture retailing is go, go, go constantly, and it€™s true that you really have to love it, or it€™s best to leave it.

The psychology behind vacations and downtime is stronger than ever, and studies show that people are more productive, more creative and overall better employees when they have€”and really use€”downtime.

This month, we thought it would be interesting to ask some notables within the industry what it is that they do to recharge and restore when the workplace gets to be just a wee bit much. Activities range from the extravagant trip to some short, quiet time alone. On the following pages, you€™ll find those stories, and here€™s hoping you€™ll be inspired to take some time to rest and relax this summer.

The Horizon Ahead
For people like Ronny Bensimon, the charge and challenge of moving the business forward is enough to keep their batteries full.
€œWhat recharges me?€ said the president and COO of Los Angeles-based Dearden€™s. €œYou€™ll probably hate hearing this, but I want to see what the next step in our business is. I can go play golf or do whatever else, but is that going to recharge me?

€œWe do what we do for a lot of hours, so we have to find a way to enjoy it. For me, it€™s what can I do next to grow the business?€

Of late, that€™s been looking for ways to expand the store€™s reach during a period when customers aren€™t buying as much furniture.
€œWe looked for things where our customers had needs,€ Bensimon said. €œWe brought in someone for each of three new areas: jewelry, prescription glasses, and cosmetics and skin care. Since we€™re a finance house, if we can find a good partner and fill those needs we can expand our reach.€
Family First
Ron Page said he was €œlater in life than usual€ in appreciating what was truly important to him, what really made him feel at ease and content. For the senior director of merchandising at High Point-based home furnishings retail buying group Furniture First, that boils down to two things: family and friends.
Page€™s first grandchild is what brings him the most joy right now: €œShe€™s five years old. I€™m so happy to see my daughter, who€™s the love of my life, have a daughter herself€”now I have two girlfriends.€
Page said he spent so much time working on retail floors and in wholesale that he missed out on a lot of his daughter€™s early years, but he€™s making up for it now.
€œShe asked me to promise to spend more time with my granddaughter in her formative years,€ he said. €œIt means so much for me to be there to teach her things€”learning to read and write, the computer, the iPad, walking the dog.
€œThe only other thing I do is take busman€™s holidays and visit our retailers on my own time. Really, to me that is relaxing, and it€™s fun. Those members are my friends, and it€™s so rewarding to help our members be successful.€
Head for the Hills
Howard Haimsohn, owner of Lawrance Furniture in San Diego, believes recharging one€™s personal batteries has two aspects.
€œOne, when you€™re crushed at the end of the day; two, when you can really get away for a true vacation,€ said Haimsohn.
When it comes to total escape, Haimsohn and wife, Julie, find that getting completely off the grid in the high mountains is perfect.
€œWe€™ve done a couple of long High Sierra hikes, and I€™ve found out something interesting,€ he said. €œHawaii is wonderful, it€™s the ultimate in relaxing, waves, ocean, everything. And while you can relax, if you take these communications devices, how much do you really €˜get away€™?
€œWhen we do these hikes, there€™s no cell service€”you are disconnected. I remember how after the first two and a half days, I realized I hadn€™t talked to anyone but Julie.€
Haimsohn also finds a peaceful mind-set in fly-fishing.
€œThat€™s incredibly relaxing because of the beauty of where you are,€ he said.
For a simpler break, the Haimsohns enjoy kicking back after a long day behind the house with a glass of wine, just enjoying the evening light, breeze and birds.
€œOn weekends, we like to take a long walk in one of the neighborhoods around San Diego,€ Haimsohn added. €œThere are so many great places to explore€”Coronado, La Jolla. We have long conversations while we€™re out, and we try to keep the talk away from work.€
Desert Retreat
Dave Harkness didn€™t have far to travel for last month€™s Home Furnishings Industry Conference (HFIC) in Palm Springs, Calif.
The president of Harkness Furniture in Tacoma, Wash., and his wife have bought a condominium in nearby Palm Desert, which has provided a nice retreat from the stress of work and the rains of the Pacific Northwest the couple has long called home.
€œWe€™ve been getting down here more often than we used to,€ Harkness said. €œThe weather€™s such a nice change, we€™re so accustomed to rain.
€œIt€™s allowed us to take up stuff we wouldn€™t have the time for when we€™re at home. Tennis, golf, we€™ve gotten a couple of bikes.€
As with several other retailers responding to our query, Harkness also finds conferences such as HFIC and furniture Markets rejuvenating.
€œI love these conferences, because some of my best friends in the world are here,€ he said. €œNo matter how long it€™s been, when we€™re together it€™s like we were never apart.€
Beat Down
A resumption of playing the drums after a 10-year hiatus gave Lael Thompson a physical and mental outlet after a hard day, in addition to providing a constant source of mental stimulation and personal enjoyment.
€œI started playing in middle school, but quit at the end of high school,€ said Thompson COO at Broyhill Furniture Collections of Denver. €œI started again two-and-a-half or three years ago. €¦ The drummer at our church left, so I€™ve been playing there for a year and a half.€
He even built his own €œstudio€ at home: €œComfort Air had some scrap foam, so I had it shipped to me. I completely framed and foamed a spare bedroom for soundproofing, so I can play away while Savannah (Lael€™s wife) is watching TV in the next room.€
He said playing drums is an amazing release.
€œIf I can sit down on those drums for an hour when I come home, no matter what happened during the day I can walk out of there with a little exercise and a clear head,€ Thompson said, adding that he inherited his love of drumming. €œMy dad was a professional drummer for a long time€”he played with Jerry Lee Lewis for a while. All that wild streak that I have comes from my dad. If I wasn€™t in furniture, I€™d been in music in some form or another.€
And additional benefit of drumming€”or playing any musical instrument: €œThere€™s research that shows when you learn to play an instrument, no matter your age, your brain re-maps itself, and works differently. It actually improves your problem-solving ability.€
Get Physical
Alex Macias is a young guy with energy to burn, and doing just that is his favorite way to blow off steam and take a mental vacation.
€œGet the blood pumping, get the sweat flowing,€ said Macias, vice president of Del Sol Furniture, Phoenix. €œWhen things are bad at work I have a hard time finding the time for myself, but now that business is better I€™m doing better with that. The number one thing I enjoy is hitting the gym to work out or hitting the trail for a hike.€
Macias combined the two recently when he participated in a the local €œWarrior Dash€ a couple of weeks before last month€™s Home Furnishings Industry Conference in Palm Springs.
€œThat was the most fun I€™ve had lately,€ he said. €œIt€™s a 5K race, which isn€™t too far, but it€™s also an obstacle course. It was on a Sunday, and I came into work that Monday real energized.€
Run JR, Run
Access to ocean breezes and wide open spaces just calls for runners to kick it up a notch.
That€™s the case with JR Capo of Miami Gardens, Fla.-based El Dorado Furniture. His choice for unwinding: a good long run on the beach.
€œIt€™s the perfect way to unwind,€ he said. €œI€™m by myself, listening to the ocean and waves on the beach.€
Work Hard, Play Hard
That€™s the motto of Ron Werner and Jim Hering, owners of Boulder, Colo.-based HW Home, and the duo takes every chance possible to travel. And, travel they do.
In fact, they were gearing up for a trip to Paris when we spoke, and planned to take in a few days at Roland-Garros 2012 (French Open) for Hering€™s birthday. They also plan to walk the street, enjoy several cafés and €œsee things that are culturally beautiful,€ Werner said.
€œWe€™re big advocates of great travel,€ he said. €œIt€™s a phenomenal escape for the mind.€
The iPhones will be off, he said.
Werner and Hering have taken many great travel adventures, including trips to Israel and Machu Picchu in Peru where they were hiking.
On LockDown
Valerie Watters has, shall we say, a unique way of taking a break from a full slate of work and community commitments.
Her technique won€™t come as a surprise to anyone who knows the energetic Valerie€™s Furniture & Accents in Phoenix, though.
€œYou€™re going to laugh, but I have what I call my €˜lockdown€™ days,€ she said. €œI turn off the phone, shut down the computer and go into my game room, where I also have a queen size bed.
€œI shut the curtains and watch Doris Day movies with my five dogs. I eat munchies, drink beer and nap. There€™s nothing like Doris Day to get recharged. About every three months, I just have to take off that way.€
And while she doesn€™t have to leave home to do it, €œlockdown€ really does constitute a refreshing break.
€œI€™m go-go-go, I€™m very involved in my community, I€™m very involved in my business, and then there€™s my ranch,€ Watters said. €œSometimes I just need to make myself stop.€
Easy Escape
What he does to recharge depends on €œthe type of recharging€ he wants to get, says Jim Fee, vice president and co-owner of Stoney Creek Furniture in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
On one hand, he gets a lot of energy out of attending furniture Markets and industry events such as the Home Furnishings Industry Conference in Palm Springs, Calif., where he took a moment to share his favorite ways to unwind.
€œEvents like where we are now get you recharged with ideas€”you€™re stepping outside your own box,€ Fee said.
For true unwinding, he has access to an environment far removed from a retail floor, but an easy drive away€”a house on Lake Erie.
€œThere are white sandy beaches, it€™s like being at the ocean,€ he said. €œIf I can get out a little early on Saturday, I can be out there in time for dinner with my wife and kids. I usually take Sunday and Monday off, so it really is a nice break during the summer months.
€œI love walking by the water, hearing the water. For the ideal vacation, I need waves and water.€
Sail Away
The smell and feel of the open ocean and the breeze blowing in your face can send the stress running for Peggy Burns and Richard Tubman of Acton, Mass.-based Circle Furniture.
€œWe go sailing,€ Burns said. €œWe love to sail because there€™s nothing more wonderful and relaxing. We€™ve been in the Boston Harbor more than anyone else.€
The couple owns a sailboat that stays anchored in the Harbor for those quick sails.
Recently, they chartered a boat in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands with three other couples who are also sailing enthusiasts.
€œIt was absolutely the best vacation ever,€ Burns said. €œYou pack lightly; you go to all the places where boaters hang out and everyone is relaxed. The only things to do are sail, snorkel and read.€
Perfect.
Isolationism at its Best
Sherry Sheely of Sheely€™s Furniture in North Lima, Ohio, admits she has a challenging time taking downtime. Husband Dale acknowledges that self-described fault with a heavy nod of his head.
That said, Sherry€™s ideal for disconnecting looks like this:
€œI want to be at the beach, in the sun, with a book or my reader with a drink in my hand without anyone around,€ she said. €œIf I can feel the warmth of the sun, I can start to relax.€
The Sheelys also like hiking out West, but they€™re looking forward to a trip this summer to Turks and Caicos to celebrate Dale€™s 60th birthday in style.
Spin Away Stress
Back in its heyday, the hula hoop was the kids€™ toy of choice.
Today, the ring has made a comeback as an exercise tool, and Mary Frye, executive director of the Home Furnishings Independents Association, hoops while watching television.
€œI do not cook anymore and I don€™t plan to cook anymore, but I do love to watch the Food Network,€ she said, adding that her favorite show is €œChopped€.
During the show, Frye has her three-pound weighted hula hoop spinning around.
€œI do love knowing about cooking,€ Frye said. €œI just don€™t like to do it.€
As for the hula hooping. It€™s a great way to stay fit and burn some energy.
Born to Fish
Jerry Baer of Baer€™s Furniture in Pompano Beach, Fla., is always at the ready with a great boating story, and that story is likely followed by a great fish tale.
No surprise where you€™ll find Baer taking a break€”on the water somewhere with a fishing pole in his hand.
€œWe cruise, and we fish,€ he said, adding that he was headed to the Bahamas last month.
We€™re not surprised.
It€™s €˜Wicnic€™ Time
Living in Southern Florida near the water gives Pedro Capo of El Dorado Furniture in Miami Gardens easy access to his passion and mode of relaxation.
€œNo doubt, the boat,€ he said, of how he restores his mind from those hectic days.
€œThe fresh air, the speed of the boat and the wind,€ he said. €œIt€™s all perfect.€
He and his wife Ana Mary Capo enjoy heading out on the water frequently to enjoy some quiet time with a €œwicnic€€”the phrase they created for a picnic on the water.
€œIt€™s peaceful and calming,€ Capo said.
Blue Skies
Running stores as far apart as the Twin Cities of Minnesota and Naples, Fla., keeps Mike and Suzanne Schumann of St. Paul, Minn.-based Traditions Classic Home Furnishings very busy, but in their spare time, they enjoy traveling.
€œMike has family in Germany so we enjoy going there,€ said Suzanne. €œWe also love Italy, France and the Virgin Islands.€
On his own, Mike literally takes the €œhigh road.€
€œWhen I have a couple of extra hours on weekends, I like to fly gliders,€ he said.
Flowers Feed the Soul
For some, there€™s just something fulfilling and restorative about digging in the dirt, planting a seedling and caring for it until it matures.
Andy Thornton, co-owner of La Différence in Richmond, Va., takes to the great outdoors and the garden. He and his wife and co-owner of the store own a home on the James River that spans several acres.
A renovation and a lot of grounds to maintain keep him sane and busy€”along with the dirt on his hands and feet.
Just Chillin€™
Dianne Ray has an easy recipe for shaking off the effects when she has a stressful day at work.
€œI do one of two things,€ said Ray, president of Garden City Furniture, Garden City Beach, S.C. €œOne is, I go home, get in my bathing suit, get in my floater in the pool with a glass of wine, and just €˜chill out,€™ as they say.
€œThe other thing I do to clear my head is do some power shopping. I€™ll go look at dresses, shoes, maybe hit Target, just to see what€™s out there. I try to get my mind off furniture and see how the other part of the world is playing. I don€™t know why, but it energizes me more than anything, but it also relaxes me.€
In addition to pool and power shopping, Ray said she€™s a big reader: €œThat does relax me, too.€
Another World
Want to escape the grind and bustle? Try getting out of your element.
That€™s what diving does for Rick Howard, owner of Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton, Fla.
€œThis industry doesn€™t offer you gobs of free time, just snippets, and you have to take advantage of them,€ Howard said. €œI love to get out on the water, I love to dive. You€™re jumping into another world where you have this incredible peace, and all the life in this world just comes to you.
€œYou don€™t have to dive deep €¦ You€™ll find more beauty and tranquility than anywhere else I know. For me, getting out on the water just lets the air out.€
Howard likes a change of scene as well for recharging, as in travel for touring or to visit family.
€œOur kids are pretty spread out,€ he said. €œMy daughter€™s in Toronto, that€™s a great place to visit; and my son€™s in Scottsdale, so that€™s a very different environment.€
On the River
Chris Sanders is a very busy man these days, and it€™s hard for him to get away and clear his head.
€œI don€™t do it enough, I can tell you that,€ said Sanders,  vice president of sales and marketing at Everton Mattress, Filer, Idaho; and 2012 president of the Western Home Furnishings Association. €œWhen it does happen, it€™s in a drift boat on a river with a fly rod. It doesn€™t matter if the fish are biting. It gets your blood pressure under control so you can breathe. Usually that€™s in western Montana or Idaho.€
Sanders tries to get out the river to fish at least a few times every summer.
€œI€™ll shoot for maybe twice a month for a couple of days depending on the river conditions and weather,€ he said.



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