Interview with Joseph and Michelle Weisman
With 53 Chair King® Backyard Store and Fortunoff® Backyard Store locations,
the company’s next generation plans to grow its consumer and B2B facing
businesses with an emphasis on core values.
Furniture World spoke with Joseph Weisman, Executive Vice President, and
Michelle Weisman, Director of Visual Design, at Chair King® Backyard Store.
It’s the largest family-owned outdoor furniture operation in the U.S. with
22 Chair King® Backyard Store locations in Texas and 31 Fortunoff® Backyard
Store showrooms in the Northeast.
Founded in 1950, the retailer was purchased in 1973 by Joseph and Michelle’s
grandfather, Marvin Barish. He immediately asked his daughter, Jackie
Barish, now Chair King® Backyard Store’s Senior Vice President, to oversee
one of their two locations.
“In 1980,” explained Joseph, “our uncle David Barish, now Chairman and CEO,
joined the business. He is responsible for much of Chair King’s steady
growth, implementing the conservative processes and procedures that have
kept us successful. He made smart real estate acquisitions and was one of
the first patio retailers to visit mainland China to source exclusive
products we could sell at better margins.”
Joseph Weisman grew up in the family business, assembling furniture, working
in delivery, warehouse control and on the B2B side with Chair King® Backyard
Store’s Leisure Collections brand. “After graduation,” he recalled. “I
worked for an oil and gas firm in Houston and then at a private accounting
firm before coming back into the fold in 2007.”
“Fast-forward to 2024, and we’re moving into the Washington, D.C.,
marketplace with another three stores, bringing our total to 31 in the
Northeast.”
Fortunoff® Backyard Store Acquisition
In late 2009, Chair King® Backyard Store acquired the rights to operate
Fortunoff® Backyard Store showrooms in the Northeast. Furniture World asked
Joseph why his uncle thought expanding into a trading area 1,400 miles away
seemed like a good idea.
Joseph Weisman, Executive Vice President, and Michelle Weisman,
Director of Visual Design, at Chair King® Backyard Store.
He replied, “Often, furniture stores expand incrementally into adjacent
areas to take advantage of economies of scale in distribution and
advertising, but our investment in the Northeast was unique.
“By the time David Barish became interested in acquiring the rights to
Fortunoff® Backyard Store in 2009, the company was owned by private equity
that had squeezed it for every cent, and it had gone belly up for a second
time.”
“Marty Merkur, the general manager at Fortunoff needed a strategic partner
to restart the profitable part of its business: outdoor furniture.
“Chair King and Fortunoff’s product assortments and business models were
similar. Vendors had been burned twice by bankruptcy, so a credible partner
was needed to relaunch the brand. Chair King brought that credibility and
made it possible to close the deal within a couple of months.
“In September 2009, our management team attended the Chicago Casual Show to
muster enough inventory to open seven Fortunoff Backyard Store showrooms.
“Fast-forward to 2024, and we’re moving into the Northern
Virginia/Washington, D.C. marketplace with another three stores, bringing
our total to 31 in the Northeast.”
Succession Planning
David and Jackie Barish, now in their early 70s, had the foresight to create
a transition plan to bring the company into the next generation. “We have a
solid senior executive team,” observed Joseph, “that includes company
President and COO Curt Littlejohn, who has extensive experience running
omni- channel operations.
“The natural progression would be for him to take the reins once David is
ready to retire. Before joining Chair King in 2014, he served in top
management positions at Wingspan Management & Administrative Group, HMSHost,
and Zale.
“Our price points start at under $1,000, but we have products that compete
at much higher prices. Shoppers can compare what they might find on Amazon,
Wayfair, a mid-priced brick-and-mortar competitor, or a high-end designer
showroom.”
“Succession planning is essential for every organization. It helps if both
sides realize that time and patience are needed. A good place to start the
process is with a discussion of core values and an agreement to stay true to
them for the company’s benefit. Everyone needs to check their egos at the
door to make the discussion and transition to the next generation as
painless as possible. Fortunately, we all play well with each other.
Discussions of transition timing are important, considering who can provide
the right amount of leadership at the right time. The goal is to have all
stakeholders aligned and the best management team in place.”
Secrets to Success
Size: “In terms of dedicated floor space devoted to patio furniture, Chair
King is the largest regional player,” said Weisman. “The market for outdoor
furniture is fragmented. Our scale helps, but we aren’t Amazon. However, our
relative size and buying power give us an advantage in acquiring exclusive
looks that can be harder to find.”
Monitoring KPIs: “Chair King’s sales training is KPI-driven. We track and
closely monitor metrics for each store, Sales Manager, and all of our highly
trained salesforce which we refer to as Backyard Specialists.”
“We don’t compete against the likes of RH. It’s not our bread and butter,
but we do carry upper-end lines like Mallin Casual Furniture, Gensun and
Hanamint.”
Broad, Consistent Appeal: “Our price points start at under $1,000, but we
have products that compete at much higher prices. Shoppers can compare what
they might find on Amazon, Wayfair, a mid-priced brick-and-mortar
competitor, or a high-end designer showroom. Styles and price points are
available that attract a wide swath of shoppers.
“We don’t compete against the likes of RH. It’s not our bread and butter,
but we do carry upper-end lines like Mallin Casual Furniture, Gensun and
Hanamint. They are key suppliers for us in the higher-end space,” he
explained, “We show these lines first to our customers to give them a
reference point for shopping the broad selection of lines and price points
we carry.”
In the January/February Furniture World edition, PFP’s Tom Liddell noted
that traditional furniture retailers continue to see their customers age
out. Furniture World asked Weisman if Chair King® Backyard Store had
identified a similar trend.
“A research study we conducted this fall,” he replied, “found that our core
customers fall squarely into the same age group as measured in a previous
study. The good news is that customers continue to age into us. It also
means that we need to continue to focus on ways to expand our customer base.
We’re a practical brand, with customers returning to buy from us about once
every ten years.”
Conservative Business Approach: Chair King® Backyard Store’s approach to
doing business is conservative, focusing on the core values of integrity,
customer service and community service. “We don’t do flashy in-your-face
advertising,” Weisman said. “It’s a measured approach that adapts to keep
our brands relevant. It’s evolution rather than revolution, taking necessary
risks to acquire market share.”
“If a customer purchases a sectional that doesn’t come with a coordinating
dining set from the same manufacturer, they are sure to find a set placed
nearby that works perfectly.”
Visual Merchandising
Michelle Weisman, Director of Visual Design, joined Chair King® Backyard
Store in 2010 following its significant investment in Fortunoff® Backyard
Store.
“Before I moved back to Texas,” she recalled, “I had a successful career in
New York City’s fashion industry.
“At the time, visual merchandising wasn’t even a job description at Chair
King. But as I grew into my role here, I took on store design, renovation
and construction responsibilities. Visual merchandising is important to
engage customers once they enter our stores.”
Under Michelle’s watch, Chair King® Backyard Store replaced the racetrack
aisle design of its stores with more organic spaces to encourage shoppers to
meander through showrooms. She dressed up collections with colorful
accessories to add visual interest and give spaces a warm and inviting feel.
There has been increased mixing and matching of materials and textures.
“We try to design showroom environments that focus shoppers’ attention on
the furniture. For example,” she explained, “our stores used to have
brightly colored floors and walls that distracted from the product. “Now we
use muted color palettes. Outdoor elements, including greenery, trellises
and pergolas, help customers imagine how furniture items will fit
beautifully into their outdoor spaces.
In late 2009, Chair King® Backyard Store acquired the rights to
operate Fortunoff® Backyard Store showrooms in the Northeast. Pictured
is their Woodbury, New Jersey, location, one of 31 stores currently
operating in the Northeast..
“Displays are arranged in collections, but customers can mix and match to
create more eclectic looks. I keep that in mind when laying out our floors,”
she said. “Shoppers can pair a table from one collection with chairs from
another. We lay out our floors so it’s easier for salespeople to help
shoppers add products from different manufacturers. If a customer decides to
purchase a sectional from a manufacturer that doesn’t make a coordinating
dining set, they are sure to find a set placed nearby that works perfectly.
That makes it easy for our salespeople to say, ‘If you’re also looking for
dining to go with your outdoor sectional, here is a group our design team
picked out that coordinates beautifully.’”
Joseph added, “Besides Michelle’s visual merchandising, Chair King employs a
numbers approach to product displays.
“We strategically place products on the floor, using sales histories to
identify hotspots. Our stores range from 30,000 down to 5,000 square feet.
Every box is a little different. We have 39 collections, each available in
three or four configurations with multiple color and fabric options. The
selection can be overwhelming for shoppers, so we ensure our Backyard
Specialists know how to guide them to products that meet their needs as
efficiently as possible.
“Roughly 75 to 80 percent of our assortments are the same in Texas and the
Northeast. The markets are not that different, except for certain pockets
like Stamford, Connecticut, where customers tend to have more contemporary
tastes.”
“Chair King® Backyard Store operates Leisure Collections, a trade and
contract showroom in Houston that offers a large selection of fully
customized, exclusive outdoor furniture.”
Designers & Developers
Chair King® Backyard Store operates Leisure Collections, a trade and
contract showroom in Houston that offers a large selection of fully
customized, exclusive outdoor furniture. It’s a destination for developers
and designers, offering over fifty designer brands, including Skyline,
Castelle, Brown Jordan, Pavilion Furniture, Tropitone, Couture Jardin,
Barlow Tyrie, Ebel and Lloyd Flanders. Clients receive commercial warranties
and project management services.
The retailer is working to expand its design and contract space footprint.
“We have a platform,” said Joseph, “that caters to commercial property
developers. It allows them to create a profile account, save their work
online and take advantage of discounts. It’s similar to what West Elm and
Pottery Barn do, except we offer our product collections plus products from
a wide range of vendors with whom we have relationships. We will soon launch
two branded websites, Fortunoff B2B and Chair King B2B, to expand our reach
further in the commercial sector. The websites will feature suppliers we
work with that specialize in custom-ordered products.”
Over time, Chair King® Backyard Store has expanded custom design services
into its retail showrooms to benefit local designers and customers. “Every
store takes custom orders,” Joseph told Furniture World, “but it’s been
challenging in some locations to develop the necessary pipeline of
relationships with the high-end interior design community.”
Other furniture retailers have experienced this phenomenon, finding that
designers are more comfortable taking clients into showrooms that provide
private and exclusive showroom experiences.
“Chair King stores appeal to a mass audience,” he continued. “We listen to
what our customers tell us they want, and although we do business with
designers, we don’t want to be thought of as a store that only designers
would love. There’s a balance.”
“Our scale helps, but we aren’t Amazon. However, our relative size and
buying power give us an advantage in acquiring exclusive looks.”
Community
Community service is a core value and founding principle established by
Marvin Barish, who passed away in 2022.
Chair King® Backyard Store’s target is to invest 10% of profits back into
the communities it serves in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Connecticut, and Virginia.
Above: “Displays are arranged in collections, but customers can mix
and match to create more eclectic looks,” said Michelle Weisman.
Challenges
When Furniture World asked Joseph Weisman to conclude his remarks by
identifying some of the largest challenges retailers selling outdoor
furniture face, he mentioned three.
Customers’ Attention Spans: “One of the most significant changes is customer
attention spans, which have shortened over the years. From a practical
standpoint, engaging with people quickly as they enter our stores is
necessary to create immediate connections. Especially when traffic is slower
and more expensive to acquire, finding ways to engage shoppers has become
more urgent.”
The Economy: “We are in a cyclical business and are not alone in observing
far fewer customers in the market and fewer keyword searches for furniture
than during COVID. Existing home sales are at record lows, and fewer people
are moving due to high interest rates. In times like these, with lower
traffic and increased competition for the dollar, every retailer needs to
stay mission-focused and able to execute. To do that well, having the right
assortment at the right time, with the right people in place, is crucial.”
Competition: “Larger specialty outdoor operations like Chair King,
Fortunoff, Palm Casual and Great Escape aren’t that common. Of course,
there’s competition in our category coming from everywhere. Not to mention,
there is competition for the dollar from other disposable goods categories
such as vacations and elective surgeries.
“On balance, though, Chair King Backyard Store and Fortunoff Backyard Store
showrooms enjoy a fair share of the market for patio furniture. Even in the
current environment, we continue to expand. It’s our view that we’re doing
something right.”