Joan Ferman Joins Norwalk Furniture As President Of Retail

Furniture World Magazine

Joan Ferman has been named the new president of retail at Norwalk Furniture, the leading manufacturer of custom designed furniture in the U.S. She succeeds Bill Gerken, who becomes Vice Chairman. “With her unique retail vision and understanding of the changing, sophisticated home fashion customer, we couldn’t be more excited to bring her to Norwalk,” says Jim Gerken, president and CEO of Norwalk Furniture. Ferman brings an impressive background in retailing – from merchandising to management. She first worked at Workbench, as a sales associate at the Cleveland franchise. “I knew as soon as I walked in the door,” she says, “this industry was where I belonged.” With Workbench for five years, she worked her way to vice president of operations; Workbench evolved into Arhaus, where she remained for 12 more years, eventually becoming president. She then joined World Market, moving to California to become divisional merchandising manager of gourmet food and wine. For two years, Ferman stocked the retailer’s 117 stores with top-notch wines and foods from around the world. In 1999, Ferman returned to her hometown in Wisconsin to purchase a wine and spirits shop, and ran that successfully until she found her way to Norwalk Furniture and its evolving franchise operation. “She will play an instrumental role in how we decide to differentiate Norwalk from other home fashion retailers,” says Gerken. Ferman attended the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Bridgewater in Boston, Mass. She and her family are in the process of relocating to Northeast Ohio. For more information on Norwalk Furniture, the leader in custom upholstered seating, go to www.norwalkfurniture.com.