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Quality issues lead Pa. House to drop Southern Roots line

By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, January 9, 2005

Greensboro, N.C. — Citing concerns about quality, La-Z-Boy's Pennsylvania House division has dropped plans to manufacture Steve Tyrell's Southern Roots, its case goods introduction at the October market.

Dealer reaction to Southern Roots at market wasn't on a par with the original Tyrell collection, New Standards, but it was a solid performer, said Dave Sowinski, president of Pennsylvania House.

"The decision wasn't a function of the selling, but an issue of manufacturing execution," he said. "We were concerned about quality issues using the (collection's) okoume veneer."

In a letter to dealers, Sowinski said Pennsylvania House explored other veneer options, but could not find an alternative that didn't significantly alter the collection's look.

Pennsylvania House has a long tradition in solid wood, and will continue to emphasize that category, but Sowinski said veneered goods will continue to play a role in the line.

"New Standards has been a wonderful collection, and it uses a lot of veneers," he said. "We're not going to be all solid wood, but predominantly solid wood. The mix will depend on each collection's needs."

He said dealer response to the decision for the most part has been supportive.

"They appreciate that we're not going to bite off too much, and our concentration on in-line product as we shift from manufacturing to sourcing," he said.

Marty Darvin, president of Darvin Furniture in Orland Park, Il., called Pennsylvania House's decision "absolutely the right move." He was ready to floor the collection, but said he had seen problems with okoume before on occasional tables.

"I commend them for doing this," said Darvin, a Pennsylvania House gallery dealer since 1980. "Pennsylvania House is a quality line, and its current administration, by taking Southern Roots off the market, is showing their dealers that they're dedicated to avoiding any blemish on the stores carrying the line."

Kacey Fine Furniture in Denver is another Pennsylvania House dealer, and while she felt Southern Roots was too regional to carry in her store, President Leslie Fishbein applauded the decision to pull the collection.

"I was thrilled to see they had the foresight to say, 'OK, we'd rather not have a quality problem down the road'," she said. "It is such a pain to pull something once we've gotten it floored."

Ed Williams, president of Leiper Furniture, a Pennsylvania House dealer in Monticello, Ill., did note that pulling a collection creates problems for retailers.

"When you go to High Point market, you have a limited amount of time," he said. "You look at a collection, you figure out how you're going to floor it, and if all of a sudden it's pulled, you have some disappointment. Maybe you don't buy another collection because you've chosen this one, and you put yourself in a merchandising hole going into the spring."

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Pennsylvania House pulls Southern Roots

Jan 4, 2005

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