Bay's 6th and largest store gets strong start
Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, February 2, 2003
Mokena, Ill. — Bay Furniture's sixth and largest store here is off to a strong start and is helping the Top 100 company broaden its assortment of midpriced home furnishings.
Since its fall opening in this growing southwest Chicago suburb, the 45,000-square-foot store has received rave reviews from consumers — including former Bay customers who had moved to the Mokena area but hadn't made the trek back to the company's older stores, said Larry Slovy, co-owner of the family-run business with his brother Rick.
"It's been absolutely excellent," said Larry Slovy. "A lot of old customers were very happy to see us back in their neighborhood."
Bay's closest other location is its Homewood, Ill., headquarters store, about a half hour's drive east of Mokena.
Slovy would not disclose initial sales, but said the new store should do about $18 million this year. That would help push Bay's total sales from about $58 million in 2002 to more than $75 million this year.
With the Mokena location, Bay is able to broaden its assortment from existing suppliers, including Berkline in motion and Kincaid in solid-wood bedroom, dining room and occasional furniture. In youth bedroom, Bay took more of a gallery approach than it has at its other stores, dedicating an area for displays from suppliers such as Lea, Vaughan-Bassett and Bedtime.
Other suppliers to the store include Broyhill, Klaussner, Blackhawk, Universal, Schnadig, Craftmaster, England, Peters-Revington, Dinaire, Canadel, Hooker, Hammary and Serta.
The store will be serviced from the company's 110,000-square-foot distribution center in Aurora, Ill. Bay's other stores in Homewood, Aurora, Hoffman Estates and Lake Zurich, Ill., and Merrillville, Ind., range from 27,000 to 40,000 square feet.
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