Mike Landfair

Establishing My Credentials
July 26, 2007

It is an honor to be asked by Home Accents Today to post my thoughts in a blog three times weekly, about some aspect of retailing. Right now Monday, Wednesday and Friday deadlines seem a little daunting.  Can I find that much to write about, I wonder?

I have been in retailing since I was 15.  I put myself through high school and college selling shoes.  For 27 years I was a stockbroker selling intangibles. Later, I cold-called high tech marketing executives selling them on the idea of out-sourcing the tactical support for their marketing programs to my company.

My wife, Beverly, and I started Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery shortly after 9/11.  On Dec. 31, 2006, we completed five years in business.  Prior to starting the business, Bev had over 10 years experience selling furniture and accessories to retail clients and interior designers.   Since we opened, we have become profitable, completed 2006 with revenues up 17% over 2005 and gained notoriety as one of the first furniture stores to use a blog as part of our marketing plan.

This year we faced our first major challenge.  We lost our lease!  While we were forced to move, our new location is in the Pearl, the most rapidly growing commercial and upscale condo location in the state. We have almost twice the space on only a 50% increase in rent.  The challenge is to get designers and the retail client in the habit of coming to the new location.

I have had to learn some basic HTML code to change our website or develop email broadcasts that are more than text messages and include links to web sites.  My high tech experience gave me experience in Excel and Word and Email broadcast software.

We are still small with sales under $1 Million, but we know who we are, what we do best and have a marketing plan.  If your only claim to fame is low price, you have your work cut out.  Prior to writing this post, I Googled some of the key words that are associated with our industry and landed on the JC Penny website.  (I would guess every furniture store has a web presence.)  I was stunned by the prices of the Penny leather sofas.   However, I could not get a feel for the quality to compare with the high quality leather sofas we carry. In addition, we are competing with Costco and Fred Meyer selling furniture and accessories at wretched prices.

It needs emphasis.  Our, yours and mine, customers do not buy from us because we have the lowest price.  In the case of Landfair Furniture, we carry several price points to be competitive, but our customers buy from us because they like us and know we will stand behind our merchandise and offer quality. We work with a lot of designers.  They know that we will make them look good.

The great thing about a blog is that it’s interactive.  I welcome all your comments, questions, experiences that you would like to share.  In addition, we all have problems that pop up and we may wonder how to deal with them.  Ask and I will find an answer for you.  Send your emails to landfair3554@comcast.net. 

Posted by Mike Landfair on July 26, 2007 | Comments (0)