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Let's share our best Big Ideas

By Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, January 26, 2009

You probably noticed the Big Idea light bulb on the upper right hand corner of the front page of this week's paper.

I hope you also invested the time to read about the big idea. In this case, it was Gallery Furniture's very bright notion to use social media and the Internet to get closer to young shoppers.

Big ideas are nothing new to Jim McIngvale, owner of Houston-based Top 100 store Gallery Furniture. And perhaps that's why his store has become synonymous with successful retailing in good times or bad.

If you've ever spent any time at all with Jim, you've seen a gleam in his eye. And come to think of it, that gleam is a common denominator in the eyes of all the successful people I know in this business, regardless of what role they play.

Jim and all the others I know that possess the gleam have one other thing in common: They've all anticipated the needs of their respective customer and have, in most cases, exceeded those needs.

Since you are reading this column, I consider you our customer.

I've listened to you and I've heard you express your hunger for real-life success stories.

And while you've made it clear that you understand our obligation to report news — good or bad — you also said that you're looking to us to report on the successful strategies that others in the business have employed to help move them forward in these challenging times.

You spoke. We listened. Earlier, we asked you to send us your Big Ideas so that we can share success stories with our readers.

You obviously heard us, and are sending those stories our way.

Keep them coming! Think of these big-idea stories as brightly burning candles. While one candle may not illuminate the entire room, it will provide enough light to help you to take your next step forward.

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