3 Retailers Join Furniture First

August 16, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Founded in 1973, by Eli and Sonia Lastick with their son Jerold, Lastick Furniture is a fixture in downtown Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Daughter Marsha and her husband Martin joined the business in 1979. The family still manages the business today. Lastick has been recognized as Mercury Reader’s Choice Awards for fifteen consecutive years and has received the honor of being named “Harry C. Kahn Memorial Retailer of the Year” by the Tri-State Home Furnishings Association.

Wood’s Mercantile, located in Clarkesville, Georgia, has been an established furniture store in the downtown area since 1961. Current owners, Kevin and Melissa Wood, purchased the store in 2019 and have renovated the interior of the building and updated the product lines offered to their customers. They are thrilled to be able to keep the 60-year legacy of Wood’s alive by offering quality brand options, providing job opportunities for families, serving the community, and providing excellent customer service to their neighbors. They look forward to this new partnership with Furniture First.

North Lima, Ohio retailer Sheely’s Furniture and Appliances rejoined the membership of Furniture First in early 2021. Sheely’s was a member of Furniture First from 2011 through 2018. The company joined another buying group in 2019, but leadership at the store found that the resources and networking provided by Furniture First could not be matched, so they reapplied for membership in March of this year.

“We’ve seen former members return before,” said Andrew Kauffman, CEO of Furniture First. “It shows the value of our retailer-to-retailer network. Where else can a store owner turn if they need a reference or advice? We recognize that the connection is something special and that’s why we create opportunities to reinforce it. Our bulletin board, performance groups and NextGen group are designed to reinforce the network.”