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Naturwood named WHFA's Retailer of Year

Furniture retailer has been in Sacramento area for decades

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2009

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Family-owned and -operated Naturwood Home Furnishings has been named the Western Home Furnishings Assn.'s 2009 Western Retailer of the Year.

Virginia, left, and Lisa Keyes are the leaders of Naturwood Home Furnishings, the Western Home Furnishings Assn.’s Retailer of the Year.

Naturwood will be honored at the group's annual conference in Hawaii in May.

The WHFA said the company, which has two stores and a warehouse outlet and has operated in greater Sacramento, Calif., for 61 years, was selected based on its contributions to the industry, community service, personal business achievements and company leadership.

"With their long history in the Sacramento area and continuing dedication to their local community and industry, Naturwood Home Furnishings exemplifies everything an exceptional retailer strives to be," said Sharron Bradley, WHFA executive director.

Naturwood got its start in 1946 as University Furniture-Home of Naturwood Products in Seattle, when Walter Keyes opened an unfinished furniture store after World War II. In 1948, he moved to Sacramento and opened the first Naturwood Furniture. Keyes said he chose the Naturwood name to reflect the quality of the unfinished wood furniture he sold.

He died in 1957, leaving the business to his 19-year-old son, John Keyes. John and his wife, Virginia, continued to grow the retail business. They ventured into manufacturing, but eventually focused on retail. The store shifted into finished furniture, exiting the unfinished category in the late 1970s.

In the early 1980s, Naturwood relocated from Sacramento to nearby Rancho Cordova. It later expanded the store to its current 87,000 square feet, making it the largest retail furniture showroom in northern California.

A second store in nearby Roseville, Calif., was opened in early 2000. Naturwood also operates a warehouse outlet in Rancho Cordova near the main showroom.

In 2006, John Keyes died after suffering a heart attack during a fishing trip with business associates and friends. Today, Virginia and her daughter Lisa Keyes run the store and remain "dedicated to John's original principles of integrity, quality and service to their customers and community," WHFA said.

"The business is also dedicated to the future of the industry, which is green and sustainable living. They are working with local government entities to minimize their carbon footprint while offering their customers sustainable products," the association said.

WHFA said Naturwood has enjoyed success and has been voted "The Best Place to Buy Furniture" in the Sacramento region by Sacramento Magazine for three consecutive years.

Naturwood also works with local charities including Furniture for Families, Shiners Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and the Sacramento Children's Receiving Home. It's involved in the industry as well, with General Manager Don Lemieux serving on the WHFA board since 2005.

The retailer started and supports the Friends Remembering Friends Golf Tournament, which honors those the industry has lost and raises money for local charities.

"It has been especially difficult in these last few years as you all know," Naturwood Chairman Virginia Keyes and President Lisa Keyes said in a joint statement. "We all are overjoyed and honored to hear that we are awarded this honor from Western Home Furnishings Assn. along with our peers. This award is due to the hard work and dedication of our entire staff, each employee being a very important member of the entire team to make the company work."

Naturwood will be honored May 19 during a dinner celebration and awards presentation at the WHFA's May 17-19 Conference & Expo on Maui, Hawaii. Information on the conference is available at WHFAconference.com or by calling Cindi Williams, WHFA events manager, at (800) 422-3778.

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WHFA honors Sacramento's Naturwood

Mar 30, 2009

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