SHFA honors Tim Harris, Knoxville Wholesale Furniture

Furniture World Magazine

Tim Harris, Knoxville Wholesale Furniture, Knoxville, Tenn., has been selected for Southern Home Furnishings Association’s highest honor, the Willis Award of Merit. Harris will accept the Willis Award at a celebration on May 13, a highlight of SHFA’s 2009 Conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Harris, undaunted by the tough economy, cast his vote of confidence in the home furnishings industry by investing $16 million to open a new, 93,000-square-foot store and 130,000- square-foot distribution center. The company now has three Knoxville, Tenn., locations, one of which is a clearance center. Harris, president and owner of the three-store chain, has expectations of generating $12 to $15 million in annual sales in the new store, bringing the company’s total revenue to about $40 million. Harris started Knoxville Wholesale Furniture 17 years ago as a wholesale operation, changing to a full-line furniture store over time. He still maintains the wholesale aspect of the business, serving about 100 stores, but he says the wholesale revenues represent only about 10 percent of the business. The Willis Award of Merit was created in 1954 by the Willis family of Virginia Beach, Va., as a memorial to John Willis, Jr. and his son, Benjamin J. Willis, Sr. The award, presented annually for more than 50 years, recognizes a home furnishings retailer doing business in the SHFA area who in the opinion of the Willis Award Committee, contributes most unselfishly to the industry, the community and to God. SHFA, an affiliate of National Home Furnishings Association, serves retailers in the states of North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee. For information on attending the Willis Award presentation, contact Nicole Filippo at (800) 888-9590 or nfilippo@nhfa.org.