Furniture World Articles by
Michael Greene
Published: 1/24/2012
it's time for small business furniture retail leaders to Stand Up and be counted so that the folks in Washington can become aware of their needs and issues.
Published: 1/16/2012
Lessons our politicians can learn from the experience of the High Point Market and a good fruit salad.
Published: 1/8/2012
The truth is that regardless of super-computers and endless Internet gizmos we still go around only once in a lifetime…
Published: 12/27/2011
Tips for women who want to get into the furniture retail life.
Published: 12/21/2011
It could have been an uncomfortable situation. Luckily though, retail business people who do the right thing, who are honest, carry products they can be proud of and treat everyone with respect, have a lot less to worry about.
Published: 12/12/2011
If you don't enjoy the challenge of people it's impossible to enjoy retail. And if you don't enjoy retail no way can you be successful at it.
Published: 12/6/2011
It’s the stories of our industry that this installment from Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 is all about. Every furniture rep, manufacturer and retailer has a few really good ones.
Published: 12/5/2011
Many people in our industry who use this system have found that they have a lot more time than they thought to enjoy life. A-n-d others, have trouble figuring out where all this saved time is going...
Published: 11/28/2011
Well, here's another retail location I want to tell you about that I ran across some time ago. It was called The Highway Home Furnishings Gallery...
Published: 11/22/2011
If you already have a retail store or came up like so many of us in a family business, but are having troubles, don't be afraid to bet on yourself.
Published: 11/15/2011
This week Grandpa Mike-e-e! tells a story about a young man thinking of entering his father's furniture store.
Published: 11/7/2011
Do you have a great or even a not so great furniture story to tell? Has the rep who has called on your store since the ice age told you the same story over and over and you find it interesting every time?
Published: 10/19/2011
And now there's another store I want to tell you about. It's called "The Bagel Hole" that discovered how to make the most of one ceiling, four walls and one flat floor. Honest.
Published: 10/11/2011
If you aren't a giant corporation, my suggestion is to forget the fine-print and make your print HUGE. Explain to potential customers what you do and what you don't do -- with a touch of class!
Published: 10/3/2011
If you are in Pizza Slice #2 or #3 or #4, turn your head around and see what kind of footsteps you left for the next generation to remember you by. And that doesn't only include those kids who have some of your genetic material...
Published: 9/27/2011
Not everything in business is in cold black and white. The intangibles of invested dedication, talent and imagination are what add up to the greatest values of the bottom line.
Published: 9/20/2011
Ideas for attracting Seniors, such as... "Once a Bride Always a Bride, The Grandchildren Are Coming", and more.
Published: 9/13/2011
Did you know that the lives we live shape up into Round Life Pizzas that slice up into four Life Quadrants? Grandpa Mike-e-e! gives advice to those in the furniture industry who are just entering Slice #2.
Published: 9/6/2011
Blah-blah politicians surely don't "know" your territory. Pundits definitely don't "know" your customer's territory. You do. You're the expert... for better or for worse.
Published: 8/30/2011
Find someone you can partner, love and be loved and you'll see your interest grow day in and day out... including weekends and holidays.
Published: 8/23/2011
Don't be one of those guys or gals who spends too much time at work for too little return.
Published: 8/15/2011
"Idea money," is money to be invested in stirring up sales excitement that lays the groundwork for future sales because it brings consumers in to just take a look-see and ask questions.
Published: 8/8/2011
When you target consumers do your homework first class.
Published: 7/26/2011
All the ingredients of care that help form a musician, also go towards forming a quality employee who can appreciate beauty. One who will report on time. One who will appreciate and understand the value of his/her part on a production team.
Published: 7/26/2011
As a manager, you are obligated to talk over your dreams for new avenues with your "Shadowy Being." Have a conversation and don't give in to the voice in your head that holds fast to the staus quo of tried and true and boring business practices.
Published: 7/18/2011
We must stand by one another (in sickness, in health and in mind) and not just honk to hear ourselves honk. Rather, we must honk to let our compatriots know we appreciate where we're all going.
Published: 7/11/2011
Of course, a sale always makes the big boss happy. But it's the whole transaction between the customer and the salesperson that counts. Including the customer smiling when they say "We'll take it." And your knowing that they'll be back again after they tell their neighbors and jealous relatives what a "good time" they had spending their hard earned cash.
Published: 7/3/2011
The name of the game in retail life is buying and who you are buying from.
Published: 6/27/2011
Women in the home furnishings industry need to fight for and release more women's thinking for men to follow, to absorb and to appreciate.
Published: 6/12/2011
This week Grandpa Mike-e-e repectfully advises the president on the policies that will stimulate the economy from Main Street on up.
Published: 6/6/2011
Our furnishings, you claim, don't have technical problems of the sort consumers experience with their cable TV and internet service. I know. But we do have specialists. Advertise their knowledge, and brag about the quality, the value, the service and the endless beauty we sell our customers.
Published: 5/18/2011
First in a series of columns by Michael Greene (aka Grandpa Mike-e-e). This installment explains why the phrase "home furnishings" as applied to our industry is a misnomer. Here's why.
Published: 4/5/2010
Included are challenging ideas for novice and experienced retailers, franchisees and college business students.
Published: 10/4/2009
This article is excerpted from Michael Green’s new book, “Retail LIfe”, published by FURNITURE WORLD Magazine. Michael Greene also known in the industry as “Grandpa Mike-e-e” is the iconic 88 year old furniture retailer, author, composer, lyricist & industry newspaper columnist.