Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
Thomasville Home Furnishings of N.J.
October 10,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on October 2012
Thomasville Home Furnishings is a national network of furniture stores, but Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey doesnt take a cookie-cutter approach to its local markets.
While Thomasville provided a basic foundation for furniture retailingthe store layout, the product line, the in-store signage, and the Web presencethe New Jersey stores aimed to create what President Edward Massood called a more local vision of what we see as the future of retailing.
First, theres a strong sense of local involvement where Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey has locations.
Were very big in charities and very active in the local community, Massood said. Those charities include Wounded Warriors, Family Aid Society, womens shelters and more.
Thats where we evolved the concepta big, national brand name with Thomasville, but also a strong local presence, Massood said. Were connecting the people with the products. Thomasville gave us this good foundation, and weve tried over the last four years as the business climate changed, to adjust to our changing market, as people traded down in a hard economy.
Thomasvilles always been focused at the higher end of middle price pointspeople who were buying Thomasville were trading down, but the high-end was looking at Thomasville as a value. Weve had to convert from what Id call a commodity sale to providing an inspirational environment.
That means not only selling the dining room, but also complete the room with window treatments, rugs, even the china.
Were working to fulfill their dream, their expectations for the room theyre working on, Massood said.
Merchandising is consistent for the most part throughout the five Thomasville locations in terms of core product.
Its very important to be consistent from a marketing standpoint, making sure the core of our business is in every store, and then put in a local flavor, Massood said. Princeton customers might have different tastes than the people we see in our Paramus store.
Beyond Thomasville, some locations include goods from the Furniture Brands International sister company Drexel Heritage.
We carry Drexel Heritage in three of our five locations, Massood noted. These are predominantly our larger stores where we could put in a Drexel gallery.
Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey concentrates more on service than price in telling its story to consumers in the markets it serves.
Direct mail remains the companys most effective form of advertising.
Its not so much about sale, sale, saleits about bringing the service aspect in, Massood noted. We talk about design assistance, excellent quality and value, window treatments and completing the room with accessories. Accessories are the jewelry for the furniture.
In addition to traditional advertising, social media play an increasing, if more subjective role in reaching out to consumers.
We are into social media, and especially for the community aspect, say when we have a designer night, or one of our designers has completed a big installation, Massood said. Social media is a great way for our design consultants to sell the work theyve done. Were prodding them to show our Thomasville customers what they can accomplish.
Theres no direct link to a cash register with social media, but you can show an empty room turned into a completed room, with all the stages. Its all about awareness, how we can help customers to fulfill their dreams.