Planned Furniture Promotions Charity Golf Outing

There are some furniture businesses out there that go above and beyond to help the community.  Planned Furniture Promotions and Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation held their 27th charity golf outing and dinner on July 15th of this year.  They raised a whopping $441,000 for local charities.  The money benefits area charities helping children in need, including:

-Camp Rising Sun
-Cardinal Cushing Centers,
-Connecticut Children's Medical Center
-Family & Children's Aid
-Prudence Crandall Center
-The Jimmy Fund
-Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters

photo source

This year, 240 people took part in the opening round of golf at the Tunxis Plantation Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut.  An evening gala that included dinner, awards, and silent and live auctions at the nearby Farmington Club, was attended by 420 people.

Bob Kaufman, co-founder of Manchester, Connecticut-based Bob's, said in a release, "This event is about the children in the communities we serve, and it's a labor of love.  We think it's wonderful that for 27 straight years our employees, vendors, and executive team have enthusiastically supported our commitment to these invaluable nonprofit organizations that help so many children in need."

Gene Rosenberg, PFP co-founder, said, "Over the years, I have been to many of the facilities that support Bob's Kids.  Seeing the smiles on the kids' faces and the joy that it brings them makes this all worthwhile.

photo source

This wonderful charity golf outing was started by industry liquidator and sales promotion company Planned Furniture Promotions.  Bob's became an event partner when Kaufman and PFP co-founder, Gene Rosenberg, opened Bob's in 1991.

In addition, Bob's Charitable Foundation donates more than $1.5 million a year in furniture, gift certificates, and money annually to projects that support children in need.

photo source

About Planned Furniture Promotions:  Planned Furniture Promotions, Inc. (PFP), and affiliate of Gene Rosenberg Associates, LLC, is a foremost furniture industry specialist in conducting high impact promotional sales.  Since 1962, PFP has specialized in creatively planning and successfully implementing thousands of sale promotions for national, regional, and local retailers of all sizes that are interested in quitting business, retiring, raising cash, and achieving other urgent goals.  PFP applies its unparalleled expertise and offers a broad range of services to help retailers maximize value including purchasing inventory using its substantial buying power, management, sales staffing, advertising, financing, and other critical areas.  To learn more about PFP, visit pfpromotions.com.

25 Best Furniture Stores

The top 25 best furniture stores were listed on Furniture Today in 2011.

It's no surprise that stores like IKEA, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Bob's Discount Furniture made the list, but you will find a mix of modern and traditional in this list.

One interesting thing this list proves is that while modern style might reign, traditionalism is still the choice of most Americans.

What's more, layaway plans and whole-room sets must really work. Stores like Ashley, La-Z-Boy, Rooms to Go, and Bob's Discount Furniture dominated the top 25.

1. Ashley Furniture Home Stores (National) — HQ in Arcadia, Wisconsin
2. IKEA (National) — HQ in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
3. Rooms to Go (South) — HQ in Seffner, Florida
4. Berkshire Hathaway Furniture Division (National — includes Jordan's Furniture, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and other brands) — HQ in Omaha, Nebraska
5. Williams-Sonoma (National — includes Pottery Barn, West Elm, and other brands) — HQ in San Francisco, California
6. American Signature (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Columbus, Ohio
7. Raymour & Flanigan (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Liverpool, New York
8. Pier 1 Imports (National) — HQ in Fort Worth, Texas
9. La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries (National) — HQ in Monroe, Michigan
10. Sleepy's (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Hicksville, New York
11. Crate & Barrel (National) — HQ in Northbrook, Illinois
12. Haverty's (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Atlanta, Georgia
13. Ethan Allen (National) — HQ in Danbury, Connecticut
14. Bob's Discount Furniture (Northeast) — HQ in Manchester, Connecticut
15. Mattress Firm (National) — HQ in Houston, Texas
16. Art Van (Midwest) — HQ in Warren, Michigan
17. Select Comfort (National) — HQ in Minneapolis, Minnesota
18. Badcock Home Furniture & More (South) — HQ in Mulberry, Florida
19. Slumberland (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Little Canada, Minnesota
20. RoomStore (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Richmond, Virginia
21. Mathis Brothers (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
22. Cost Plus World Market (Multi-Regional) — HQ in Oakland, California
23. Bassett Home Furnishings (National) — HQ in Bassett, Virginia
24. The Sleep Train (West) — HQ in Citrus Heights, California
25. American Furniture Warehouse (West) — HQ in Englewood, Colorado

Source: Apartment Therapy

All About Chalk Paint

If you have signed up for a Pinterest account, odds are, you have scrolled through and seen a picture of a furniture makeover using chalk paint.  Most people who use chalk paint are using Annie Sloan's product.  There are other chalk paints out there, but this is by far the most popular.  It comes with a wax top coat that finishes the whole project off.

Did you know that you can also make your own chalk paint?  It's really simple.  Below is a chart of homemade recipes.  The number one mix on the chart is the calcium carbonate recipe.  If you choose to make this version, it's best to search online for the calcium carbonate, and will prove to be worth your effort in the end.

chart source

You may be wondering why people use chalk paint and what is does.  It is usually used to revamp old pieces or cover kitchen cabinets.  This is because chalk paint can cover flaws in wood really well, and you also do not have to sand most pieces before painting.  Who wants to sand anyway?  The finish adds a nice, antiqued look as well.  Less work and a beautiful final product make this paint a favorite among crafters and your average Joe (or Jane).  

Below are pictures of chalk paint projects found around the web.  

photo source

photo source

photo source

photo source

photo source

photo source


photo source

Tiny House Furniture

You may have noticed a trend that is quickly becoming a tiny reality for many Americans.  I'm talking about tiny houses.

These beautiful, little creations have the power to draw the viewer in, leaving them hoping to get a glimpse inside.

photo source

Don't be fooled by their size.  Tiny houses are all, but boring.  Once you get a peek at the interior, you will notice something these modest home owners usually don't forego: great style and the perfect set of accompanying furniture to meet their needs.  These minimalists know how important it is to bring in the most innovative, high functioning built-ins to do several jobs in one.  Stairs can also serve as storage drawers.  Beds are usually in the loft, built-in or Murphy style.  Sofas are often times built-in benches with storage below.

There is a reason we are all so intrigued by these little houses.  They seem to bring out the kid in all of us.  Who doesn't want to live in an over-sized play house with a real kitchen and a loft bed?

photo source

photo source

photo source

A Good Deal

You hear about people searching for a “good deal” at furniture stores like it’s nobody’s business.  Translation:  “We are on a mission to find the cheapest couch in the store no matter who makes it, how well it will hold up over time, or how comfortable it is, but it has to look like it costs a lot.”

People across the country are now sitting in hollowed-out , sunken-in holes with springs protruding through foam and cotton.  We all need to be able to have our own spot on the sofa without worrying that it will look like a meteor hit it after a couple of months. 

Sometimes we just want a good deal, but our $300 could be raised just a teensy bit, and gain us much higher quality. 

Let’s just say a good deal is not always so good! 

Unfortunately, this is the case for many consumers looking to purchase. 

Several high-end furniture stores have taken a hit due to this trend, and have to close their doors, which leads them to hire companies such as Planned Furniture Promotions to run promotional sales for them.

Here is what Wallace E. Epperson, a longtime furniture-industry analyst with Richmond-based Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd., had to say in regards to Leo Burke Furniture having to close their doors in 2012.

“I hate to see it, but we have seen a lot of our premier furniture stores close up nationally,” said Wallace E. Epperson Jr., a longtime furniture-industry analyst with Richmond-based Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd.

Jack Burke of Leo Burke Furniture assisting a consumer in the store

High-end furniture retailers have suffered in recent years as manufacturers have closed or greatly reduced their offerings, Epperson said.

Most industry analysts would not have expected high-end furniture retailers and manufacturers to be hard hit during the recession, Epperson said, because their core customers — more affluent shoppers — are spending money and are not credit risky.

But those shoppers also are buying better-looking yet cheaper-priced imports that have flooded the market, he said.

“The imports look so good. If you want a leather sofa you can buy one for $2,000 that looks like a $6,000 one,” Epperson said. “As a consumer, it is just difficult to pay that kind of multiple price. As a retailer, how do you compete with that?”

Source: pfpromotions.com/blog

Leo Burke Furniture hired Planned Furniture Promotions to run their promotional sale, and wound up having incredible success leaving his outstanding business behind. 

Here is Jack Burke’s testimonial regarding the use of Planned Furniture Promotions:

This is Jack Burke, with Leo Burke Furniture in Richmond, VA.  We’ve got a high end furniture store that we’ve had since 1958.  We recently concluded a going out of business sale that we partnered up with PFP on, and it was a wonderful experience.  We had used other companies in the past for high impact sales, and upon further review it became increasingly clear that we made the right decision using PFP. 

We had gotten to this point by certainly analyzing the ugh………..it was no mystery………it was a down cycle………..but we were also looking at trends as we were moving forward here in this industry, and decided that going forward with the business was probably not the best thing to do.  We did our due diligence, and talked to several companies that handle these kind of sales, and after speaking with them, decided that PFP’s business plan was the certainly the best way to handle an event like this. 

As we moved through the sale and at the conclusion of the sale, I feel like we definitely made the right choice.  I would be delighted to speak with anybody that’s considering closing their furniture store, and giving them more details about our experience and why I think PFP has the best business plan. 

I feel like PFP delivered on everything they promised.  It was a wonderful experience.  We can certainly look everybody in the eye in the community.  They left the store broom cleaned just like they said they would.  It was a professional operation from start to finish.

Las Vegas Furniture Market 2014

The World Market Center will be the place to be once again this year from July 27th through July 31st.  With 1,500 exhibitors spanning three buildings and four market destinations, you are sure to be wowed should you find yourself lucky enough to be there this year.

Buyers, designers, and industry professionals can spend their days at market, and their nights free to roam around the fun-filled city of Las Vegas.

World Market Center
495 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas

July 27-31, 2014
Market is open Sunday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Temp Floors are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

For more information:
http://www.lasvegasmarket.com/index.html

photo source