Tenn. dealer wins by playing offense
Ray Allegrezza, Editor-in-chief -- Furniture Today, February 2, 2009
Knoxville Wholesale Furniture's vendors better be on their toes, because at the drop of a hat, owner Tim Harris just might order them to drop and give him 50.
Before opening his successful furniture store, Tim taught English and in case you haven't guessed, he was also a successful football coach. In fact, he even talks about Knoxville Wholesale Furniture the way a football coach would talk about his team.
“Running a successful business, be it a furniture store or something else, is like coaching,” Harris told me recently. “The name of this game is execution. That's why you will see a good coach have his team practice the same drill over and over. He wants his team to know that play so well they can run it in their sleep.”
And having had the pleasure of attending the recent grand opening of Tim's newest store, a $16 million investment, it was immediately obvious why the man has established himself as Tennessee's largest independent dealer.
If you'll allow me to mix my sports metaphors, the reason Tim's stores have made money since day one is that the guy covers all the bases.
For openers, as the name suggests, Tim started the operation as a wholesale channel. And while his focus today is on his traditional retail business, with an emphasis on midpriced goods, he still conducts wholesale transactions with upwards of 100 furniture stores in five states.
He also has a clearance outlet that in his words, “can and does sell furniture for less than Big Lots.”
But why would a guy spend big bucks to open a new store in this stagnant economy? He's got faith. Not only is Tim a man of faith; he also has faith in his people, his systems and his concept.
“Even in this climate, I see tremendous opportunities for someone who will invest the time and money to help make his employees better people, because better people become better employees,” Harris told me.
“If all you do is focus on cutting costs and playing defense, you never get the chance to play offense.”
To which I say, “Put me in, coach. I like what your team stands for.”
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