In most cities, there’s a mix of two types of furniture stores: the national chains and the local guys. The chain furniture stores rely on their big advertising budgets and high volume to attract customers. The locally owned stores rely on their customer service, personalized attention and link to the community to generate traffic and sales.

And in these cities, it’s not uncommon for customers to pile into the family car for the day to shop around at the national furniture chain stores, before visiting the locally owned stores.

The Neighborhood Difference

And what do people notice when they walk through the doors of a neighborhood furniture store? And what do they think when they are greeted by a warm handshake and a friendly smile? They see that the local guy’s prices, quality and sales staff are as good – or better – than what they find in the national chain stores. (more…)