Retail Success: Outdoor Mixing & Matching

Interview with Eli Hymer, Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio

Apollo Award-winning retailer, Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio shares its approaches and insights for selling casual home furnishings.

Eli Hymer, the General Manager/Buyer/Designer at Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio wears a lot of hats. He is responsible for the home furnishings sales division at the company, founded by Bob Gasper over 35 years ago, with locations in Buck’s County between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey. In addition to operating The Exterior Furnishings Gallery at Gasper Home & Garden Showplace, the operation has a design-build division, a six-acre landscape nursery and greenhouse, and a DIY hardscape supply store. “Bob Gasper is 100 percent focused on the garden center side of the business. He is the best boss I could ever have,” noted Hymer.

Looking for weekend income after graduating from Rutgers University, Hymer stumbled into the casual furniture industry when he took a part-time sales job at a small patio store. “Within a few years,” He recalled, “I expanded the operation to five stores throughout Central Pennsylvania and Delaware. At the time, we didn’t even know what containers were.” He stayed in the casual furniture business, working for two other retailers before receiving an offer to oversee the Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio in 2018. “When I first met Bob Gasper, he carried four or five patio furniture lines doing modest sales. His forte had always been running their Garden Center and Landscape Design. I immediately brought in another 20 lines of furniture and purchased most of the inventory from my former employer that decided to give up all but one of its lines. The result was a dramatic increase in furniture sales plus Apollo Award recognition from International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA). We’ve been a finalist every year since, including this year, as a multi-store operation.”

In late 2021, Gasper moved much of its furniture operation from the original garden center location to Furlough, Pennsylvania, expanding the selection in the studio from 50 to about 120 sets of furniture. Before the move, due to space constraints, they had to suspend furniture sales every year to make room for holiday merchandise sales starting in September.

“The new store,” said Hymer, “allowed us to sell over the winter season, especially to our many clients who have second homes in Florida and Arizona. As sales have grown, our business has become more year-round, in part because shoppers have become very tuned in to how long it takes to get some products. More customers are coming to us to look for outdoor furniture in January and February than ever before.”

“When shoppers visit most full-line furniture stores they may find four or five sets of outdoor furniture on the floor. Here, we have more than 120 sets.”

Display: A Unique Approach

Hymer has developed an unorthodox approach to accessorizing his outdoor lines. “I accessorize with indoor lamps, rugs and wall decor. That makes our displays look like a well-accessorized, design-focused indoor furniture store. We sell a lot of garden statuary, high-end indoor giftware and beautiful silk and faux fur throws. It looks great to toss a beautiful fur throw across an outdoor group, but of course, we let our customers know those items are not suitable for outdoor use.

“Gasper does a lot of exterior rug business and would sell more if it weren’t for the fact that we sell home furnishings to many of the same customers that use us to install pavers and decking. It’s always a good idea to advise people to let the color tone down first before adding a rug, since it can leave a picture frame area under the rug when the pavers or deck fades.”

A Feeder System

Gasper’s Exterior Furnishing Studio at Richboro, Pennsylvania, funnels business from their garden center to the Furlong location. “The garden center,” he noted, “currently displays about 25 sets. It’s designed as a feeder system with a huge video screen highlighting our much larger store that’s only a 15-minute drive away. This year we added a 30-foot by 80-foot deck to display furniture and have plans to add a new 20,000 -square-foot operations center location that will employ 70 people.”

“Hymer has developed an unorthodox approach to accessorizing his outdoor lines. ‘I accessorize with indoor lamps, rugs and wall decor.’”

Advertising

“We find that the best way to reach out to our prospects is through a highly-targeted furniture magazine we mail out to about 250,000 households. It’s expensive to produce, but extremely effective. We also do a lot of social media.”

He said that the Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio location has turned out to be important to driving traffic as well. “Our new store is located directly across the street from a high-end indoor furniture store that draws traffic from a wide geographic area. They sell some great outdoor lines but don’t allocate much floor space. When customers pull out of their parking lot, if they are building a new home, refurnishing or moving and want access to a wider selection of outdoor furniture, they just walk across the street to see our vast selection of outdoor furniture displayed in a beautiful, accessorized outdoor furnishings showroom.”

Outdoor Category Expansion

Furniture World asked Hymer how the recent expansion of outdoor furniture sales online, in big box stores, full-line furniture stores and even sporting goods stores affects Gasper’s sales.

“I really don’t like selling lower-end merchandise,” he replied. “It bothers me to see exposed nuts, bolts and welds. However, during the pandemic, I bought about 20 sets of lower-end furniture to loan out to customers while they waited six months to get delivery in the summer. Our customers appreciated this gesture. Later I sold the sets and didn’t lose any money.”

Selection & Service

Selection is another factor that has helped boost Gasper Exterior Furnishings Studio’s sales. “When shoppers visit most full-line furniture stores,” he continued, “they may find four or five sets of outdoor furniture on the floor. Here, we have more than 120 sets in all the different categories and price points from medium to high-end. We deliver on our own trucks and specialize in handling outdoor furniture. If you have a heart problem, you should go to a cardiologist. If you need the best in outdoor furniture, you should go to an outdoor furniture specialist.

“Gasper focuses on providing frame and fabric care instructions and warranty claim information. We build relationships and do lots of repeat business. Big box stores tell customers who have issues with quality to bring it back for a refund. But customers don’t always want a refund. And no one wants a replacement chair that doesn’t match. They want their outdoor spaces to look special. Even at our entry-level price points, people expect and get superior service from us. We know our product and the industry inside and out.”

Cross Marketing

“Gasper’s landscape design business is very lucrative,” continued Hymer. “Our team of talented landscape designers and architects leverage that business by giving extra incentives for customers to purchase outdoor furniture. I go out to customers’ homes, meet with them in the store and create a design plan. Many of our landscape clients become furniture customers. We’ve also developed three program options for working with outside interior designers. They can purchase direct; we can sell it to them; or they can pass their extra discount on to their clients. Outside designers bring in business we wouldn’t otherwise get. I love working with them.”

Customer Preferences

“Skillful visual merchandising invites customers to envision what their house could look like, even if they only buy a sofa. It’s part of creating a clearly defined and inspirational brand message.”

Hymer told Furniture World that the pandemic changed the outdoor furniture business. “It blew it out of the water. Now customers not only want outdoor kitchens, but they also want to build structures, have awnings and huge outdoor fireplaces. Thirty years ago, just about everyone seemed to have a 10-foot by 10-foot square deck or a patio suitable for a table and four chairs. Now our customers want to lounge more than dine, and their outdoor spaces have become extensions of their homes. That applies to the colors they use as well as the styles and types of furnishings. Everything they do inside, they can now do outside.”

Following indoor trends that favor eclectic groupings, Gasper’s customers tend not to purchase matched sets. “It’s not uncommon for me to mix a couple of pieces of synthetic wicker and some teak along with an aluminum dining set, then tie it all together with fabric. Our customers like this creative approach that makes outdoor spaces hip, trendy and transitional. Years ago, we used to just sell sets. Now we sell individual pieces and create our own sets. Of course, manufacturers don’t like it when I mix things together—I get a lot of grief.

“We also have eight other associates at Gasper who mix things together for clients. Yesterday, a customer wanted to purchase a cast aluminum table with synthetic wicker chairs. I mixed product from three vendors to put together a presentation. For many retailers, it would be a challenge to get the proportions right. But since we do this every day, we know what works. In the showroom, we have a display that combines a Bernhardt sofa with a Summer Classics table. I’m mixing metals with a little bit of a composite along with synthetic wicker, tying it all together with greenery, flowers and pillows. I consider myself to be the king of pillows.”

Hymer says that finishing touches are important. “Customers who purchase a set might not buy the pillows and other accessories, but in their minds, they’re buying a look. It’s what attracts them, and this approach works well for us.”

“Keep in mind that customers always shop first with their eyes. They need to like what they see and believe it will work in their rooms. After that, at least for upholstery, they shop with their tush.”

Outdoor Trends

He observed, “There will always be people who have traditional-styled interiors who also want scrolled arm outdoor styles, but we see fewer customers who buy that look. There’s more demand for smoother materials and transitional styles that combine well with contemporary or traditional. Polymer materials that emulate teak and can be left out all year long are trends we anticipate.

“We are selling more generously scaled furniture. Gasper’s customers tend to purchase grays and blues. However, on our sales floor, I add in other colors, perhaps salmon, maybe yellow, some black and always something in Pantone’s color of the year to be fashion-forward and to add a pop of color.

“I have three sets on the floor right now with rope motifs: Cabana Coast, Barlow Tyree, and Kingsley Bates. They sell very well. Yesterday we sold four rope sets. The style is different and unique. We have to be somewhat careful with purchasing trend furniture because the furniture we sell will last for many years. We don’t want it to become dated.” To avoid this outcome, Hymer suggests that his customers consider a neutral cushion color—something they might choose for a pair of trousers or a skirt. Then, add pillows and accessories to make a statement. “If they marry themselves to a bright red cushion,” he observed, “they’re stuck with red forever. It’s a lot less expensive and more flexible to change pillows.”

Staffing Issues

As with most other furniture retailers, Hymer says that staffing has been a challenge.

“There’s more to successful retailing than just doubling down repeatedly on the 10 best-selling designs on a retailer’s floor.”

“I go to a lot of seminars about employee retention and firmly believe that a retailer’s biggest asset is the employees they have right now. So, I try to be more accommodating and understanding regarding scheduling.

“Finding warehouse people has been especially challenging; we have 20 openings for positions right now in the main office. Lots of people apply. We recently posted nine jobs online, and one applicant applied for every one of them. Many don’t return calls or emails, and for the ones we do hire, some show up, while others don’t. Often when people are available, there’s a reason why. Most of the good people out there already have jobs.”

“Years ago, we used to sell sets, now we sell pieces and make up our own sets. Of course, manufacturers don’t like it when I mix things together—I get a lot of grief.”

ICFA

Hymer has been going to the Chicago Casual show, organized by ICFA, for the past 37 years and plans to do so this year at the new venue, AmericasMart in Atlanta in July.

“I love the casual industry and take my membership in ICFA very seriously. Since I’ve been at it a long time, other retailers know me and often come to me for advice. It’s a mentoring opportunity as well as a way to make important contacts and grow as a retailer. I have enormous respect for Jackie Hirschhaut, ICFA’s executive director. And, I feel that she is probably the best thing that happened to outdoor and casual furniture—the glue that holds ICFA together. She’s a pit bull when it comes to the serious work she does for members, takes pride in her job, and I’m a better person for knowing her.

“I love the casual industry and take my membership in ICFA very seriously. Since I’ve been at it a long time, other retailers know me and often come to me for advice. It’s a mentoring opportunity as well as a way to make important contacts and grow as a retailer. I have enormous respect for Jackie Hirschhaut, ICFA’s executive director. And, I feel that she is probably the best thing that happened to outdoor and casual furniture—the glue that holds ICFA together. She’s a pit bull when it comes to the serious work she does for members, takes pride in her job, and I’m a better person for knowing her.

“The members are a great group of caring people who work together to make our industry thrive. I appreciate every one of them as well.”

“Professionals set goals, such as coming back to their store from Market with three new color stories, or four fabric textures not currently shown on their floor.”