Daily News Archive
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January 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 19, 2010
Simpson Furniture opened for business in Coralville, Iowa, the first week of the New Year, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported Monday.
The new store occupies the former C & S Furniture Gallery. Simpson Furniture is based in Cedar Falls.
"We've been looking at Iowa City, Coralville in Cedar Rapids for five years, maybe more," President Dale Emmert said in the report. "We never really found the building or the land that work as well until this came up. The timing was better for this opportunity."
C & S Furniture Gallery owner Gary Shields, whom Emmert knew as a retailer, died in November. Shields had already been looking to retire.
Simpson Furniture's lines include La-Z-Boy, Flexsteel and Lane Furniture, and Emmert said the Coralville location will be only the second in the state to carry the Ty Pennington furniture collection from Howard Miller.
A grand opening is planned for mid- to late February.
January 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 19, 2010
Michael's Furniture Showplace, Boise, Idaha, is in foreclosure and selling off inventory, KTVB reported Sunday.
The family-owned store will go out of business within a couple of months.
Competition from large retailers, a poor economy and the inability to get financing led to the decision to close.
"The whole time I really thought we would pull through," Owner Marty Goffin said in the report. "I thought we needed to refinance the building and that kind of was the catalyst of the going out of business, not getting the building refinanced created the final chapter."
Michael's Furniture, which has been operating since the 1960s, once had 10 stores and 135 employees.
January 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 19, 2010
Maysville, Ky., retailer Big Sandy has donated furnishings for a room at Mason County High School that's part of a rewards program for academic achievement, improved attendance and better behavior, the Ledger Independent reported last week.
MCHS Principal Steve Appelman told the paper that the "Big Sandy Cafe" isn't for use by straight A students, but rather, for example, could a student who was failing a subject and managed to pull the grade up to a C.
Big Sandy made the room possible through donating furniture and a television. Appleman had suggested the rewards room when CEO Robert Vanhoose called the school asking what the retailer could do for the district.
Appelman said he asked for six pub tables, 24 chairs and a television. "They said, 'we can do that,'" he said.
"We thought it was a good opportunity for us to help out," Terence Taylor, manager of Big Sandy's Maysville store, said in the report.
January 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 19, 2010
Cosec International has shifted its pay-to-advertise Web site to a free service for companies looking to tout sales by zip code.
The Web site, Salesinamerica.com, offers both retail and service type businesses the opportunity to upload print ads, coupons, and special offers as well as direct links to YouTube advertisements.
"As we watched some of our clients struggle to gain fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter and try to figure out how to use social networking sites to advertise when they were not designed for such a thing, we just decided to offer Salesinamerica.com free and see what happens," said Scott Hood, president of Cosec International.
The Web site is searchable by consumers via zip code for sales in their local shopping area. The site includes merchandise and service categories like furniture sales, appliance sales, carpet and floor covering sales and a variety of other industries.
January 17,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 18, 2010
Peggy Rydzewski, who shops at Chris Furniture in Livonia, Mich., will receive a $5,000 furniture shopping spree as winner of the "Inspired Living Begins Here" launch sweepstakes for the National Home Furnishings Association's HomeFurnishings.com consumer Web portal.
"The sweepstakes was a huge success and our congratulations go out to Peggy and Chris Furniture," said Karin Mayfield, NHFA senior director of industry promotion. "The sweepstakes drew so much attention to our new HomeFurnishings.com Web site that we have decided to start the new year off with not only another $5,000 'Inspired Living Begins Here' home furnishing shopping spree but a Serta American Idol sweepstakes as well."
Chris Furniture is a family-owned and -operated business that has furnished Michigan homes for generations. The store offers not only quality furniture but also unique hard to find pieces that families treasure for generations. In addition to their furnishings, Chris Furniture takes pride in offering custom upholstery and interior designing services that adds the extra shine to their furniture.
Consumers can enter the next $5,000 "Inspired Living Begins Here" sweepstakes on any HomeFurnishings.com Certified Retailer's Web site. The contest runs Jan. 1-March 31. The drawing will be held by April 15, and the winner will be notified by mail.
To enter the Serta sweepstakes, which runs Jan. 1-April 25, shoppers can take a "Serta Test Rest" in the bedding gallery at a participating NHFA Serta retailer. The Grand prize winner of a trip for two to the 2010 American Idol finals in May will be announced by May 4.