O.P. Jenkins changes with times
By Marc Barnes -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2008
Knoxville — O.P. Jenkins Furniture has survived wars, depressions, changing tastes, an all-but-abandoned downtown, a shift from domestic manufacturing to overseas and the advent of well-heeled, big-box furniture stores.
This is an impressive list of challenges for any independent, family-owned furniture store to overcome. But it's even more impressive when you consider the company has been at it for 100 years and is showing no signs of letting up or slowing down.
Meg Troutman, the great-granddaughter of founder O.P. Jenkins, says that the store depends on two simple business truths: It sells everything that a customer needs to furnish a home and it gives old-fashioned customer service, emphasizing attentive salespeople and free delivery.
"We sell all different kinds (of furnishings, including) upholstery and case goods, bedding and lots of accessories," said Troutman. "It is a mix of imported and domestic. We mostly call it eclectic, because we have a lot of different styles from cottage to traditional to contemporary. And we have a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces."
Deep roots
Troutman said that the store is doing well, partly because of its location and partly because of the family-oriented way it does business.
"Our business has really not been off at all," said Troutman. "We are in a downtown area that is being revitalized so there is a lot of excitement coming back downtown. We say that we have something for every lifestyle and every budget and we have a design team that goes out and consults in people's homes."
There are advantages to being as established as O.P. Jenkins Furniture. Several generations of the Jenkins family have worked there and, likewise, several generations of the same Knoxville families who first bought furniture from O.P. himself now buy furniture from his descendants.
That foundation is augmented by new shoppers discovering the place for the first time — some of whom live practically next door.
"There are a lot of new people downtown, because there are lots of apartments and lofts," said Troutman. "We have a lot of young couples and young people who are new customers with us."
The retailer puts a lot of effort into getting and keeping customers. Troutman said that the store's marketing includes television, newspapers, magazines and some radio advertising, along with direct mail.
And while the customers are in the store, efforts are made to build relationships, so the next time the customer is in the market for furniture, they will think of O.P. Jenkins.
"We build relationships with our employees and we all build relationships with our customers," said Troutman. "We don't look at it just as a business — we have a lot of friends. We love our reps. It has more of a small-town, family-owned feel to it."
A team approach
And the family works together as a team. Meg said that her husband, Terry, went to work for her father 23 years ago. Her father retired in 2004. Her cousin, Dan, serves as the office manager and accountant.
What the latest generation of the family has brought to the store is a combination of growing up in the business along with college training. Meg majored in merchandising, Terry in economics and Dan in accounting. Meg said that her husband and the designers have an keen eye for buying at markets in High Point, Las Vegas and Atlanta.
Meg said that she stayed home to raise her children (the youngest is now a senior in high school), but that she never missed a market — and that she likes to watch the numbers.
"We have changed a lot in the last five years," said Troutman. "We are adding a lot of accessories and adding the design piece. And when you do that your look really changes.
"We have competed with the giants but we have been our own person. We don't pay a lot of attention to them. We work hard and we haven't had any trouble. Our look and style is so different from theirs."
That willingness to change product with the times has been crucial to the store's success. Troutman said that until recently, the store's mix included appliances and TVs. And in the really old days, the store sold stoves, washers and wagons at Christmas time, serving folks outside of Knoxville in the country who would come downtown once a week for supplies.
But appliances and electronics are now sold more cheaply at big-box department stores and specialty electronics retailers, taking away demand for them at O.P. Jenkins. That shift created an opportunity.
Staying nimble
"In the past five years, we have really turned the ship, dropping the TVs and appliances," said Troutman. "We decided to focus on helping people make a house a home, to make it homey and eclectic and give them a good experience, so that their children and grandchildren would enjoy coming to see them there."
Part of that involved adding in-store designers, along with 60 new product lines, bringing the retailer's total number of suppliers to more than 100. Today, the product line leans toward medium- to high-end price points.
In furniture, key lines include La-Z-Boy, Rowe, Broyhill, Lexington, Largo and Hooker.
Even so, some things have not changed.
"The way we do business from a customer service and ethics standpoint has not changed, but with our style, we have evolved with the times," said Troutman. "Somebody came in yesterday and said 'Omigosh, I had no idea.' One of our ads says, 'Knoxville's best-kept furniture secret is out,' and the other says, 'Downtown's downtown furniture destination.' We have really allied ourselves with downtown."
Downtown has been both a bane and boon for O.P. Jenkins. When the store opened in 1907, it was across the street from the location where it is today. A wall was knocked out for one expansion at the current site and the store is now on four floors, with 30,000 square feet of selling space and a 10,000 square foot of warehouse.
Downtown turnaround
For many decades, downtown was a popular destination for shopping, restaurants and entertainment. But by the 1980s, an exodus occurred, with many consumers preferring to shop at outlying shopping centers and malls. As a result, many downtown stores closed their doors, leaving mostly business offices, banks and law firms.
"It was a lean time downtown," said Troutman. "Through hard work and the grace of God we got through. I really think because of customer service, we had what people wanted and there was a repeat customer base and it was low overhead."
But then, a movement began to revitalize downtown Knoxville. Most notably, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported, an entire block of buildings near the store was torn down to make room for a new street. With that came access to an interstate highway, along with new customers from the east and north.
At about the same time, the New Urbanism trend worked its way across the country, in which older buildings in downtowns were being rehabbed into lofts and apartments, with work and entertainment within walking distance. That meant more investment downtown, which in turn meant more potential customers for O.P. Jenkins.
"Downtown really is a destination," said Troutman. "Mast General Store is up the street, there is a great sushi restaurant called Nama, there is a huge movie theater and a place called Trio where you make your own salad. There is a market square area where we have concerts and ice skating at Christmas and in the summer; they do Sundown in the City on Thursday nights."
So much is going on that Troutman is considering extending the store's hours for nights when there are events downtown.
"Our strategy is to continue to change and be different from other furniture stores in East Tennessee," said Troutman.
