Remembering John
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, April 10, 2005
With the recent passing of John Ziozis, founder of Linon Home Décor Products, the industry lost an icon. I lost a longtime friend and mentor.
John, who was successfully importing furniture over 30 years ago, did not regularly grace the pages of Furniture/Today. But if you knew John, you knew that was a result of his being far more comfortable out of the spotlight than in it.
During my first meeting with John, I remember asking him about his business ventures prior to launching Linon in 1974. His answer made me realize I was talking to a very special man.
After coming here from Greece, John began importing and selling flokati rugs, a shag-like rug that was very popular in Greece at the time.
In the midst of what was then a booming business, he literally had the rug pulled out from under him. The U.S. government enacted new flammability laws that many of his Greek suppliers were unable to comply with.
Other importers burned their U.S. retail customers by folding up their tents, exiting the business and sticking them with rugs that could no longer be sold here in the states.
John took the higher, and far more expensive, road. He made sure that none of his customers had any financial exposure as a result of the new flammability laws.
Later on, when he decided to hitch his star to a then-fledgling category — casual dining — he ended up calling on many of the same retailers he had helped as he was forced to exit his rug business.
You can guess the reception he received.
"While it may be harder at times to climb, the view from the high road is always worth the work," John told me.
While I'll miss John, I'm thankful for his friendship, his stories and his ethics.
He never relished being a speaker in the spotlight, but the way he conducted business spoke volumes on the topic of integrity in business.
