Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Rockford Wholesale Rebrands as The RW Collective
July 9,
2024 by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry 
Rockford Wholesale, a one-stop, to-the-trade resource for retailers and designers encompassing a portfolio of brands with a passion for product design, high value, and affordability, has rebranded as The RW Collective. The new name better reflects the company’s current identity and future aspirations as a collective representing all home furnishings product categories.
Launched five years ago by Michael Carey, owner of Atelier Home and president of Stock & Trade Design Co., one of the hottest design-focused home furnishings chains in the Southeast, and Rebekah Osborn, owner of Beyond Borders Furniture Co., Rockford Wholesale merged multiple brands and design aesthetics under one umbrella.
Beginning life as a key supplier to Carey’s Stock & Trade stores, with products warehoused in a single 180,000-square-foot facility in Rockford, Alabama, the company has grown into a comprehensive brand collective and fast-rising star in its own right that supplies retailers and designers across the country.
From the start, Rockford stood out among today’s trend-setting furniture and home décor suppliers. Along with showing twice a year at the High Point Market from its Main Street showroom, the company introduces new product year-round to retailers and designers via the convenience of a single website —offering a unified shopping cart and consolidated shipments from its warehouse nationwide encompassing all home furnishings categories and eight major wholesale brands—from case goods, upholstery, occasional and outdoor to lighting, accessories, textiles, top-of-bed, rugs, and home décor.
The key difference: Every single product design presented has already first been tested and proven at retail, both by savvy shoppers in the upscale Stock & Trade Design Co. chain of stores, and customers of the partners’ newest retail endeavor, Jes & Gray Living, a casual lifestyle concept which recently opened its third location.
“We understand the needs of retailers and designers and offer them unparalleled value and support, because we are retailers and designers ourselves. We are deeply committed to making it easy for our customers to drive business and achieve higher profitability.”
“Indeed, we sell our exclusive products created by our talented internal product development team to other retailers for the same price that we buy for our own stores,” said Osborn, The RW Collective’s chief operating officer, adding that the partners are able to maintain consistently high quality since much of the furniture line is carefully crafted in Beyond Borders’ own factory in Java, Indonesia.”
“Our journey has been marked by remarkable growth on the manufacturing and wholesale sides of the business, and our name change to The RW Collective, is a great choice as we continue to evolve. It maintains the connection to the company’s origins, while also reflective of the diverse range of elevated brands we represent, which offers more product under one roof than can be found from any other vendor.”
“The name suggests a collaborative effort, which is very appealing and valuable in the wholesale industry. This change is more than just a new name; it signifies commitment to providing a sophisticated and elevated experience in the world of wholesale furniture.”
Central to The RW Collective’s success are the synergistic efforts of Carey and Osborn. “Rebekah’s strategic focus on expanding our manufacturing capabilities complements our shared vision of supporting retailers’ success,” said Carey, chief executive officer. “Together we have cultivated a thriving environment where ideas flourish and partnerships thrive.”