Naturwood Home Furnishings Named as 2009 Western Retailer of the Year

Furniture World Magazine

The Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA) announced that Naturwood Home Furnishings of Sacramento, Calif. has been named the winner of its annual Western Retailer of the Year Award. Naturwood Home Furnishings is a family owned and operated store that has been furnishings the homes of the greater Sacramento area for the last 61 years. “We are very proud to announce Naturwood Home Furnishings as our 2009 Western Retailer of the Year,” said Sharron Bradley, WHFA’s executive director. “With their long history in the Sacramento area and continuing dedication to their local community and industry, Naturwood Home Furnishings exemplifies everything an exceptional retailer strives to be.” Naturwood Home Furnishings began their operation in 1946 as University Furniture – Home of Naturwood Products in Seattle, Wash. Walter A. Keyes opened the unfinished furniture store after World War II. In 1948, he moved his family and business to Sacramento, Calif. and the first Naturwood Furniture was opened on 25th Street and Broadway. Walter named the store Naturwood to reflect the quality of the unfinished wood furniture that was for sale. In 1957, Walter passed away, leaving the business to his son John. Even though he was only 19 years old, John already had a passion for the furniture business and was ready for the challenge. While growing the business, John focused on providing Naturwood customers with integrity, quality and service. John, and his wife Virginia, continued to grow the business and ventured into new opportunities in manufacturing their own products. Eventually the demand became so high for factory-finished furniture, that John shut down the manufacturing of his own furniture to focus his attention solely on retailing. In the early 1980s, Naturwood opened a 38,000 square foot two story location off of Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova, Calif. In 1996, Naturwood added an additional 49,000 square feet to this location making them the largest retail furniture showroom in Northern California. They also opened another location in nearby Roseville, Calif. in early 2000. In 2006, John suffered a massive heart attack while on a fishing trip with business associates and friends. Today, Virginia and her daughter Lisa run the store and are still dedicated to John’s original principles of integrity, quality and service to their customers and community. The business is also dedicated to the future of the industry, which is green and sustainable living. They are working with local government entities to minimize their carbon footprint while offering their customers sustainable products. With two stores and a warehouse outlet in the Sacramento area, their success soared and Naturwood Home Furnishings has been voted the last three years in a row as “The Best Place to Buy Furniture” in the Sacramento region by Sacramento Magazine. Naturwood is dedicated to the Sacramento community and has been involved in numerous charities such as Furniture for Families, Shiners Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home. They are also active members within the furniture community, with General Manager Don Lemieux serving on the Western Home Furnishings Association’s Board of Directors since 2005. Naturwood also started and serves on a committee that plans and organizes the Friends Remembering Friends Golf Tournament which honors special furniture friends of Northern and Central California who have passed away. Beginning shortly after John passed away, this tournament is a great honor to those the industry has lost and raises money for local charities. “It has been especially difficult in these last few years as you all know. We all are overjoyed and honored to hear that we are awarded this honor from Western Home Furnishings Association along with our peers,” said Virginia Keyes, chairman and owner, and Lisa Keyes, president. “This award is due to the hard work and dedication of our entire staff, each employee being a very important member of the entire team to make the company work.” Naturwood Home Furnishings was selected as the 2009 Western Retailer of the Year based on their contributions to the home furnishings industry, service to its community and their personal business achievements and company leadership. Naturwood Home Furnishings will be honored on May 19, 2009 at 6:45 p.m. at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Maui, Hawaii with an exclusive dinner celebration and awards presentation. The event will take place as the grand finale to WHFA’s May 17-19 conference & expo. For more information on Naturwood Home Furnishings, please visit www.naturwood.com or contact Michelle Howard Jones at michellehj@Naturwood.com. For more information on taking part in the Retailer of the Year dinner celebration, sponsored by Serta, on May 19, 2009, visit www.WHFAconference.com or call Cindi Williams, WHFA Events Manager at (800) 422-3778. About Western Home Furnishings Association: The Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA) is the largest affiliate of the National Home Furnishings Association, representing more than 1,000 independent home furnishings retailers in more than 2,800 stores in 12 western states. For more information, visit www.WHFA.org. PHOTO CAPTION: Naturwood Home Furnishings owners Virginia and Lisa Keyes have been named WHFA’s 2009 Western Retailer of the Year.