Game of Thrones
June 2017— Sleek consoles rule the day as large wall units all but exit the battlefield As usual, HFA member Jerry Baer has a lot on his mind. At the…
Top Stories
The Furniture King
June 2017— Jake Jabs knows a little about guitars, and even more about furniture. For more than half a century he’s been excelling at both. His first business lesson? That’s…
Retailers are putting more on the floor
May 2017— If the rise in popularity of HGTV’s entire programming schedule hasn’t made it obvious yet, more and more of today’s consumers are thinking beyond the sofa or dining…
Pro-Active, No-Pressure Selling
May 2017— Sometimes you have to say “no” for the customer to say “yes.” There’s an existing paradigm that salespeople are pushy and high pressure. Of course, some are so…
To sell more, stop selling
May 2017— Jill Konrath’s thoughts on selling can seem puzzling until you stop to make sense of them Editor’s note: This is the last of a three-part series on improving…
Print Still Works (if you do it right)
May 2017— “There is no such thing as a lack of attention span, only the lack of being entertained.” — Jerry Seinfeld I always keep Mr. Seinfeld’s insight in…
Breaking away from the same old, same old
May 2017— Your customers won’t try something new? How do you know? As I write this column it’s a Thursday, so I’m participating in #tbt (Throwback Thursday) and flashing back…
I Did Not Know That!
May 2017— If you never try something different, how do you know if what you’re doing is best? Carnac the Magnificent, as portrayed by Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show,…
Why merit increasingly beats nepotism in family businesses
May 2017— In our agrarian past, every farmer wanted 10 sons because all that free labor meant he could have a much bigger farm. The patriarch not only controlled the…
Grand Opening
May 2017— Thinking of opening a second store? Knowing when to grow is a tough call. HFA members offer tips to help make the decision. Opening a furniture store can…