Bed maker offers choices galore
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, December 31, 2006
Richmond, Va. — Like other U.S. metal bed manufacturers, Brass Beds of Virginia stays competitive by emphasizing variety and customization.
The 32-year-old company has some 60 models ranging from antique reproduction brass beds to transitional styles.
The beds, most of which retail from $1,200 to $2,200 in queen, come in 30 hand-painted finishes and a dozen one-step powdercoat finishes.
There's also a choice of configurations, such as headboards and frames of varying heights. Company President Pat Hudgins said 80% to 90% of the beds it produces are customized products.
"The bed goes through production with the store name and (the consumer's) name on it," said Hudgins.
All beds are produced at a Richmond factory that handles everything from metal forging and casting to finishing and assembly.
While customization isn't unique to Brass Beds of Virginia — other domestic producers also tout it as a competitive advantage against foreign producers — the company does have an unusual way of getting its name out in the marketplace.
It doesn't show in High Point, Tupelo or Las Vegas. Instead, it fosters relationships with retailers, most of which are authorized dealer showrooms, in 34 states. In most cases, Hudgins personally visits the stores, whether it's to show new product or attend a special weekend promotion.
Most of its dealers are in the Southeast, but the company has some accounts as far west as California and Oregon and as far north as New Hampshire and Minnesota. Hudgins described these retailers as mainly midpriced to high-end bedroom boutiques that also sell luxury linens and high-end mattress sets.
The company initially sold its beds in the Richmond market, but word of mouth quickly led to distribution in other cities and states. Occasionally, satisfied customers have even set up their own stores.
In many cases, stores have exclusives on Brass Beds of Virginia product in their markets.
Hudgins declined to reveal how many retail accounts the company has or how much it produces, other than to say it ships anywhere from 10 to 120 beds per week.
Bedding and accessories specialist Levin's, with stores in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Va., has carried the company's beds for about 30 years. Patricia Hein, the retailer's director of operations, said Levin's particularly likes the way the beds are built and their lifetime warranty.
"They are all done by hand," she said. "I don't know of anything you can guarantee for two generations."
Construction quality is especially important, she said, because it's a piece of furniture that must stand up to daily use.
"Those $400 and $500 beds (from other producers) are junk," she said. "They are just stamped out metal pieces and are just screwed together. Metal against metal will not hold up."
Hein said customers also like the customization options, including all the finishes.
While Hudgins said Brass Beds of Virginia wants to continue adding locations in new markets, the goal isn't to become a mass producer. He said the company will stay small enough to focus on quality and craftsmanship.
"We have been selling to these retailers for 30 years," he said. "The advantage we have is that we are small, so if someone wants an iron bed that is different, we are the one for them."
He said the company also has other competitive advantages, including its ability to offer more personalized service and the lifetime warranty.
This isn't to say the company hasn't faced challenges. Sales were flat for years after 9/11, and increased raw materials costs have eaten into profits. Brass, for instance, has doubled in cost since the first of this year, he said, while the cost of aluminum alloys used for castings has risen as much as 300% from this time last year.
Hudgins acknowledged the company has raised prices to help cover the increases.
But along the way, Brass Beds also has tried to add more value through new styles and finishes. And it cut its lead times in half by moving to a larger and more efficient factory here. (Hudgins declined to reveal specifics, other than to say it's twice the size of the old one.)
Today, it ships product within four to six weeks of an order and has a quick-ship program that gets some items out the door in about two weeks — another advantage over some foreign producers that might have product tied up in transit for many weeks.
Hudgins said he also spends time educating dealers about the quality and construction of the beds, which have steel-reinforced side posts, heavy-gauge solid brass and a cast dovetail frame system.
"We work very hard at making our salespeople on the floors very educated about what we do," he said, adding that people who work in the boutique stores that sell the product are eager to learn what to look for in a metal bed, and get tips they can share with consumers.
While Hudgins said the retail environment remains challenging, he feels more optimistic about business than he has in three or four years.
He added that, based on his company's success over the past 30-plus years, he has no plans to change his business model anytime soon.
"With some of the foreign and domestic people, the main strategy is a price point. Our main product strategy is quality," he said. "While our beds are more expensive, they are not extravagantly expensive. We are about offering quality for the money."
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