I had the opportunity to attend a business seminar where Barry Tatelman, founder of Jordan’s Furniture, spoke about the marketing strategy and culture that built Jordan’s Furniture. For those unfamiliar with the company, Jordan’s Furniture is a $750 million dollar furniture retailer that sells more furniture per square foot than any other furniture retailer in the country. The company was started in 1918, by Barry’s grandfather, who sold furniture out of the back of a truck until 1926. When Barry and his brother, Elliot, took over the operation there were 5 employees and sales were around $200,000. Now there are close to 2,000 employees and in 1999, Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the wealthiest people in the world, was so impressed with the company he bought it.
So, what was the secret to taking a “mom and pop” family-owned business and parlaying it into the furniture giant that it is today. According to Barry, the key to their success was being unique and “thinking outside the box” when it came to selling furniture. ”We wanted to create a fun experience for our shoppers, a place where a family could go together have fun, get something to eat and yes, maybe even find a living room set that they really liked and wanted to buy.”
And create a fun experience they did. All four locations have beautiful showrooms, impeccable customer service and quality-crafted furniture. But that’s where the similarities with other furniture retailers ends. For example, in their Avon, Massachusetts store, you can take a ride on M.O.M., a Motion Odyssey Movie, which takes place in a 48-seat theatre with a 4-story movie screen. When you visit the Natick, Massachusetts store, you walk into Bourbon Street. Complete with a 9-minute Mardi Gras experience, interactive robots and beautiful 3-story facades.
Jordan’s Furniture - not just a furniture store, it’s an experience.
The moral of the story . . . find a way to make your business unique and fun, back it up with excellent products, great customer service and your business will not only be remembered but you will become the logical choice for the product or service you sell.
