Florida association names Mark Richmond retailer of year

Richmond has owned The Furniture Warehouse chain for 25 years

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, August 10, 2010

Mark Richmond, owner of The Furniture Warehouse, Sarasota, Fla., with his wife, Stephany, accepts the Distinguished Retailer of the Year award from the Florida Home Furnishings Representatives Assn. Photos are courtesy of The Observer Newspaper.

FHFRA members Eddie Gonzalez, Carey Laufer and Scott Barten attend the luncheon honoring Mark Richmond.

SARASOTA, Fla. — More than 80 colleagues, friends, family members and guests turned out here last month to honor Mark Richmond as the Florida Home Furnishings Representatives Assn.'s 2010 Distinguished Retailer of the Year.

Richmond is the owner of The Furniture Warehouse, which is based here. Since opening in 1985, the retailer has grown to four locations in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice and Port Charlotte, Fla.

The FHFRA award honors a retailer for outstanding contributions to the furniture industry through creative skills, management expertise, hard work and loyalty. A luncheon in his honor was held at the Ritz-Carlton here.

Speaking to the attendees, Richmond said his company's success was based on three things.

"First is my secret weapon, and that is my wife, Stephany. She is the systems, procedures and financial guru of our business," he said.

"Secondly, on our road to success has been a great team. If you hire the right people and you take care of them, everything falls into place. And thirdly, treat every day as an important, special day. Everyone has setbacks, but if you deal with adversity as an opportunity, you have a winning strategy," Richmond said.

He also thanked his parents, including his late father, Judd, who introduced Mark to the furniture business, and his mother, Arlene, who was at the luncheon.