Furniture Store Owner Crowned Mrs. Wisconsin

June 21, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on June 22, 2012

Jamie Valeri, co-owner of two-store furniture retailer Today's Furniture Advantage, has been crowned Mrs. Wisconsin.

The mother of six will represent the state in next month's Mrs. United States competition and pageant.

Jamie Valeri, along with her husband, Richard Valeri, took a furniture business in bankruptcy in 2005 and have spent the past seven years building it into a profitable, multiple store success story, with Today's Furniture Advantage locations now in Appleton and Stevens Point, Wis.

An encounter with an area family struggling to make ends meet inspired the couple to start sharing their success with the communities around them. In 2011, the couple launched a new program out of their stores called "Silent Night--Give A Child A Bed". For every 10 bedding sets sold through their stores, the Valeris began donating one set, with the assistance of local social services, to a child in need of a safe place to sleep.
 
The impact the program has made in the surrounding communities inspired Jamie to use the visibility of her crown and the Mrs. United States pageant to expand "Silent Night" nationwide. She began making appearances, doing print and television interviews and contacting other furniture stores across the state in an effort to make her big dreams for the program come true.
 
With new found support from several furniture stores across the state and her trade association, Home Furnishings Independents Association, Jamie's "Silent Night--Give A Child A Bed" program has the potential to impact the lives of thousands of children across the country.