Industry folks help brighten lives of others
Jay McIntosh, News Editor -- Furniture Today, January 2, 2005
From Pasadena, Texas, comes a story of a disabled man in a wheelchair who has devoted his life to raising his 6-year-old grandson but couldn't afford to furnish their apartment. They were among 15 families that Houston retailer Gallery Furniture chose for its annual holiday giveaway of roomfuls of furniture, prompting the grandfather to say, "There is a God and there is a Santa Claus!"
In Homewood, Ill., retailer Bay Furniture, with the help of Ashley and Serta, donated all the furniture for a new house built for a soldier injured in Iraq whose wife just gave birth to quintuplets.
In Las Vegas, Storehouse Furniture teamed with the ABC-TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to create a perfect home for an inspiring family, a woman who gave birth to one child and adopted six others, including three born with AIDS. The woman was recently diagnosed with cancer.
What's interesting about these stories, besides the fact they're heartwarming, is that they're not that unusual. Every week, it seems, I read at least one story about furniture retailers or manufacturers helping people in their community or, in the case of a company like Palliser, around the world. And I'm pretty sure there are many similar acts of kindness I don't hear about.
Some of the charitable work is taking a high profile these days. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is only one of several real-life home fix-up shows on broadcast or cable TV that depict furniture, accessories and decorating in a good light, underscoring the point that a nice home can improve your life.
(If you're my age, these programs might remind you of the old "Queen for a Day" game show in which the woman with the hardest-luck story won prizes. The new shows seem to pick the beneficiaries beforehand, so you don't have to feel bad for the losers.)
The home remodeling shows could be a fad, although the whole reality TV genre is sticking around longer than I thought it would. And even if the attention of the TV cameras does fade away, many people and companies in our industry will continue to do good deeds, as they've always done.
While these acts certainly spring from a sense of charity, you have to think they're also part of a smart business plan. When a shopper buys something at, say, City Furniture in Florida or Jordan's in the Boston area, she knows she's doing business with a company that's actively helping the community. That kind of warm, fuzzy feeling helps build brands and reputations.
Whatever the motivation, we're proud to be part of an industry that cares about and supports others. It gives the whole year a holiday feeling.
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Industry folks help brighten lives of others
Jan 3, 2005
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