Four will receive SFM Gold Passes
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, June 29, 2003
San Francisco — Two veteran retail teams, George and Greg Follett of Follett's Furniture in Lewiston, Idaho, and Bob Ammirato and Valerie Valentine of Design Galleria by Valentine in Sacramento, Calif., will receive the San Francisco Mart's Gold Passes at next month's market.
They will be honored in a ceremony at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, July 19, in the San Francisco Concourse.
Gold Passes are given to Western retailers who have distinguished themselves by industry participation, the caliber of their stores and their ongoing support of the San Francisco market.
The Follett family has been in retailing since the 1860s. George Follett entered the furniture business in 1952 when he moved from the management training program to furniture department manager at Montgomery Ward. He joined Sylvan Furniture in 1957 and, in 1968, attended his first San Francisco market.
In 1985, Follett left Sylvan to open Follett's Furniture, a midpriced retailer now located in a 20,000-square-foot building at 825 Main St. in Lewiston.
Son Greg Follett began working in the family business in 1985 and is the store manager. He began attending the San Francisco market in the mid-1980s. He is a longtime member and past board member of the Pacific Furniture Dealers and the Northwest chapter of the National Home Furnishings Assn., and serves on the board of the Western Home Furnishings Assn. He started the free online buying guide, www.furnituresmart.com, in 1998.
Ammirato and Valentine founded Design Galleria by Valentine in Sacramento in April 2001. Together, the husband-and-wife team has over 60 years experience in store management and interior design. Ammirato has been attending the San Francisco market since 1974, starting as a buyer for Macy's, where he worked for 27 years.
Valentine, who also started at Macy's, has been an interior designer for 30 years, winning such awards as the Best Interior Designer from the Northern California ASID.
Design Galleria serves both interior design professionals and the public.
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