Archive for the ‘Howard’s Furniture and Decorating Center’ Category

How to make 2010 a real ’10’

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief — Furniture Today

Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you are probably delighted that 2009 is behind us. As we head into 2010, I believe that we’ve found the bottom and are on our way to a slow, steady recovery.

Statistically, there appears to be evidence to support my observation. On the day before Christmas, the Commerce Department reported that orders for durable goods were up almost 3% in November.

That was followed by a report from the Labor Department indicating that the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped during the week ending Dec. 19 to the lowest level since September of 2008. Based on that positive news, economists, including Goldman Sachs and Macroeconomic Advisers, each called for U.S. fourth-quarter 2009 growth of 4% or better.

Even so, we all know that much is riding on the consumer and as best as I can tell, she’s still skittish. But I can tell you that based on the results of a survey we recently conducted with HGTV, while the recession has caused her to rethink how and where she shops, she still wants a lovely home.

So, with that in mind, here are 10 tips to tune up your business in 2010.

Reach out to the consumer. She must believe that you have the solution to her decorating task. Whether it is an e-newsletter, postcards, or an invitation to an in-store event, make her feel that you can help her.

Invest in your employees. Turn your order-takers into selling consultants.

Exceed your customer’s needs. If you implement tips 1 and 2, this will be easy.

Invest in customer incentives. She’s got other places to shop. Make it worth her while to shop you.

Present a readily understandable value proposition. She wants beautiful furniture, but she’s also looking for value.

Be product experts, not product pushers.

Update your Web site. She’s shopping online, so you need to be where she is with a site she can’t resist.

Take a page from Burger King. Let her have it her way. In other words, accommodate her.

Know what your best customers like, then shop for them. Call her and tell her you ordered some accessory pieces that she’ll love.

Invest as much time evaluating your competition as you do your customer.

Here’s hoping you make 2010 a real “10”!

Quest for Quality

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Three-fourths of home furnishings shoppers are looking for quality product. That’s one of the key findings from the more than 8,500 U.S. consumers responding to Furniture/Today and HGTV’s exclusive survey, The 2010 Consumer.Here’s what several home furnishings shoppers have to say about quality.

“I’m looking for better quality products that will last longer for the price rather than cheaply-made items.” 41-year-old from Ohio

“We’re buying quality things to last and changing the smaller items to give an updated look.” 61-year-old from Utah

“I’m looking for items that are very well made.” 30-year-old from Washington

“I try to be a little more rational on pieces that what will last longer while remaining stylish and functional.” 24-year-old from Maryland

“We’re buying furniture that will last a long time – product that’s not too trendy to become outdated quickly.” 33-year-old from Georgia

“The economy has made me even more apt to buy quality rather than quantity.” 56-year-old from Colorado

“Our furniture needs to last because we consider it an investment.” 40-year-old from Texas

“I look for more value and quality – a piece that will last over the years yet look great.” 43-year-old from Illinois

“I save the money before purchasing and I only buy good quality that will last.” 50-year-old from Texas

“I am saving to buy one piece of furniture at a time. Now it’s about value and quality.” 38-year-old from Alabama

“Now I think about quality and whether the furniture I purchase will stand the test of time.” 44-year-old from Missouri

Results of The 2010 Consumer will first be presented during Furniture/Today’s Leadership Conference and look for results in Furniture/Today’s December 7, 2009, print issue.

 

Source: www.furnituretoday.com

www.HowardsFurnitureandDecoratingCenter.com

Photographic Fine Art Lamps Feature New Environmentally Responsible LED Lighting

Monday, October 26th, 2009

CARPINTERIA, Calif., Feb. 26 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Holland Scott Gallery today announces the debut of the Environmentally Responsible Green Energy Fine Art Lamps. These lamps combine energy-efficiency technology with fine-art design. Elegant photographic floral images and art-deco linoleum patterns from the 1930’s are the result of energy efficient LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp technology and the Giclee (zhee-clay) fine-art printmaking process.

The Giclee printmaking process uses permanent archival vegetable die inks on the cylindrical illuminated photographic image. Additional lamp designs are in production.

Omnidirectional, these LED lamps provide the correct color temperature of daylight for displaying naturally brilliant photographic colors. They also generate no heat and are free from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that may cause fading over time. More importantly, LED lamps use 80 to 90 percent less energy than the incandescent lamps they replace.

Inventor and artist, Candy Hawthorne, along with her husband and art dealer, Scott, also a professional photographer and a true-digital art pioneer, are the brains behind the first Green Energy Fine Art Lamps. They have been creating art mediums with computers and technology since 1978.

Scott is a designer and creative evangelist; his contemporary photographic works are represented in each lamp he designs.

“The natural photographic beauty is complemented with the soft LED lighting; these new lamps look spectacular,” Scott said. “The eco-friendliness of the new lamps is also very exciting.”

The new long lasting LED lighting is provided by LEDtronics, one of the leading LED lighting design and manufacturing companies in the U.S.

About the Holland Scott Gallery:

The Holland Scott Gallery (www.hollandscott.com) showcases Santa Barbara area contemporary artists and is a creative gallery where art and design begins as research, and evolves into artistic and commercial appeal. The Holland Scott Giclee Fine Art Printmaking uses state-of-the-art digital imaging technologies to produce limited edition prints.

About LEDtronics:

Since 1983 LEDtronics (www.ledtronics.com) has been the leader in designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly, low-power usage, long-life LED bulbs and LED lamps as a direct replacement to incandescent bulbs.

To learn more, contact: Scott Hawthorne at 805-566-0812; scott @hollandscott.com; or LEDtronics at 800-579-4875; webmaster @LEDtronics.com.

Source: http://www.send2press.com/newswire/home_design.shtml

www.HowardsFurnitureAndDecoratingCenter.com