New Lexington display a hit with N.C. retailer
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, January 27, 2002
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — Charles and Teresa Thomas have owned a thriving furniture store here for 21 years, and expect to do even better with their dedicated Lexington display space.Thomas Furniture was expanded last year to 54,000 square feet, in part to create a 12,000-square-foot area devoted to Lexington's brands. Charles Thomas said Lexington worked with him and his designers to create presentations for Bob Timberlake, Tommy Bahama, Nautica, Waverly, Palmer Home, Southern Living and other brands.
The store long has carried large amounts of Lexington product, but scattered around the floor. The reorganization, begun five months ago, already is boosting sales, Thomas said. Lexington makes up about 15% of total sales, he said.
"Timberlake continues to be our best seller overall," he said, followed by Tommy Bahama, Palmer Home, Nautica and Lauryn Olivia youth furniture.
He believes gathering the merchandise together allows the store to better communicate the Lexington Home Brands concept to consumers, who can more easily identify with the feelings and lifestyles the various brands seek to reflect. Also, salespeople can show more of what a consumer is likely to want in one area, with a better chance of closing a sale, he said.
The Thomas store is between Hickory and Lenoir, a hotly competitive furniture retailing area. Among its other key suppliers are Stanley, Pennsylvania House, Hooker, Sumter, La-Z-Boy, Bradington-Young and Serta.
Previously, Clarence Thomas spent 15 years with manufacturer Broyhill, becoming manager of a case goods plant. He and his wife became retailers in 1980 when they opened a 5,000-square-foot store.
| The original Bob Timberlake bedroom collection is the best-selling Lexington product for Thomas Furniture in Granite Falls, N.C. |
| A popular casual dining group for the Thomas store is this white Tommy Bahama group. |
| Store co-owner Charles Thomas sits on a Waverly sofa, with fabric swatches behind him. |
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