Ray Allegrezza

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Furniture execs wonder if it is time to pay the piper?

We all know what they say about payback. Well, if an investigation set to get underway by a  fledgling coalition of case-goods importers, Chinese factories and a Seattle-based law firm gets legs, they could come running full speed at the group of domestic case goods makers that supported the now famous antidumping suit. As first reported in our paper, this coalition has hired the law-firm of Garve... More

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Gallery's Mattress Mack Will Win Because Store's Customers Want Him To

Houston’s  outpouring of support for Gallery Furniture in the aftermath of that terrible fire, which has now been ruled arson, is an incredible and tangible thumbs up for Jim McIngvale and the relationship he’s built over the years with his community and his customers. And speaking of customers, at a time when most retailers are pulling their hair out  trying to lure shoppers into their stores,  M... More

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Furniture Wake-Up Call: Please Drop The N'T!

Ron Wanek, head of Ashley and a student of history, is fond of saying “In peace, prepare for war. In war, prepare for peace.” Given the wisdom of that advice, and given the fact that  we are in an economic war of sorts, I’m surprised that  more of us are not preparing for peace. While none of us can predict exactly when we are going to come out of this recession, it’s a safe bet that we will dig o... More

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The next Kennedy on Capitol Hill?

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with Chris Kennedy, president of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, you know two things. One is that his company has a major presence in High Point as the owner of the Suites at Market Square, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza, the National Furniture Mart and the Hamilton Mart building. The other is that he is all Kennedy.  He looks and talks like his father,... More

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Memo to furniture store owners: Get back into the game.

Earlier today, I had a long talk with a veteran rep. To his credit, despite the spongy business climate, he is still spending a good chunk of his commission dollars to make himself very visible to his retail customers. As a result of spending an above-average number of hours in the stores each week, my buddy, Neil, is way above average in terms of being plugged in to what’s going on in his territo... More