HFIA Goes Independent in Name Change

July 22, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 2007 The Home Furnishings International Association is changing its name and logo to better reflect the organization’s focus as the choice for independent home furnishings professional.

The organization will now be known as the Home Furnishings Independents Association.

“The new name really says who we are,” said Julian Doerr Mutter, HFIA board chairman. “When we use the term ‘independent,’ we’re talking about the decisionmaker, the business owner, the action-taker and the difference-maker. The independents in our industry will find our services expressly designed to serve the needs of their businesses. And when they partner with the new HFIA, they will be offered an opportunity to directly influence not only the association but the industry, too.”

Steve Kidder, an association board member, said he believes the word independent better explains the organization to store owners and managers.

“In the past, when our marketing materials arrived on the desk of a retailer in a small town in America, he might have wondered about joining an international organization,” Kidder said.

HFIA has also undergone a transformation in its look. The logo has been redesigned to feature bold colors, clean lines, and a fresh contemporary look. The redesigned logo has already appeared in a series of new ads designed to promote HFIA as a support resource.

“We needed to refocus and be sure our image matched the services we are providing,” said Doerr Mutter. “The new name and the new logo are more in keeping with what our members have come to expect from our association. The reinvention, if you will, further emphasizes the commitment HFIA offers members. HFIA is a stable, reliable organization, yes, but one with a fresh, inventive, and original vision for the future success of its members.”

The organization was founded in 1923 as a Texas state organization, serving the needs of owners of independent, family owned retail furniture stores. While national in scope now, the association continues to focus on the needs of independent business owners and the vendors and representatives who sell to them.