Indian River Furniture
Furnishing that Unique Experience
A sense of legacy and heritage, along with the personal commitment of a family’s reputation, are often missed in a business landscape that is marked by big chain buyouts and mega mergers. However, one local family business has proven its resilience, having been through the Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Apollo shutdown, the shuttle disaster and now the current economic downturn. As Forrest Lilly said, “We had to grow up and down.”
Established since 1939, Indian River Furniture is expert in providing high-quality service and offering a wealth of experience in assisting customers in making furniture selection. Owned by Forrest Lilly and his wife Bridget, the company was founded by his grandfather, who started the store, now located in Rockledge, by selling from the back of a truck in 1931.
“Before he opened a store, he’d go up to Daytona or Lake Helen and buy furniture. He’d come to downtown Cocoa and make his rounds. Back then, it was a dollar down, a dollar a month type of thing,” Lilly said. Fifteen years later, his father, Keith, took it over and developed the business and then passed it down to its third generation. Part of their resilience is recognizing the business’s cyclical nature.
It’s a Family Affair
With the help of his brother, Bryan, who performs inventory management, Forrest and Bridget continued to develop the business even more when his father retired. Bridget, who has an interior design background, assumed the purchasing responsibilities. “While I stuck to the financial end, she did everything else,” Lilly proudly conceded.
Bridget’s goal was to make the company more design-oriented. Her hands-on approach results in a customized look, coupled with a fun environment. “I feel that what I brought is a more creative buying and shopping experience for the customer,” Bridget pointed out. “The number one priority is to make sure everything we do is top notch. Our doors stay open because of referrals, and by using our strengths we ensure our customers have an exceptional experience.”
Knowing Your Customers and Your Products
Indian River Furniture builds on its custom capabilities. The staff provides in-house design consultation, included in the purchase price. Also, they don’t deliver in the box, like many stores, but instead have one of the most highly trained and knowledgeable finishing and delivery staffs available.
Technology has taken the business to a higher level, primarily by developing a more web-oriented marketing strategy. While they’re exploring e-commerce in the future, for now, the focus is serving Central Florida.
Realizing that it is their unique niche that sets them apart, they are building upon that exclusivity. In fact, they give that advice to other business entrepreneurs, “Others may have the same product, but as long as you can add all the bells and whistles, along with that rare sense of passion, you can be successful,” Bridget explained. ”It is the desire to please people, not just turn a profit, which sets you apart.”
Sage Advice from a Veteran
Being prepared is another key to success. Forrest said, “You need more than a great idea before going into business, you have to be sufficiently capitalized. It’s tough right now for all types of businesses, but anybody can do it if they want it bad enough, if they’re committed to it. People today are very cautious with money but the desire to spend is there. Customers will purchase where they are comfortable.”
“We’ve had people that just come in who have been all over and say, ‘This place just feels different,’ that is the response we are looking for,” Forrest said. He adds that customers like to see the owners walking around. Accordingly they are at the store location most every day and have 60-hour work weeks.
But they also understand the need to refuel. They take a couple of days off every month and have the weekends off with their kids
Certainty in Uncertain Times
The Lillys share the concerns about unemployment, foreclosures, and further decreases in housing sales, but are not dissuaded from pressing on and attaining their goals. Their next move involves a re-model starting February 2011. “That’s what keeps us optimistic, otherwise things become stagnant. If you just get fearful, you don’t move on,” Bridget said.
In an era of impersonal mega businesses and chain stores, Forrest Lilly recognizes another trend. “Customers want to support the family-owned businesses. They want them to survive, and when they do price comparisons, they will ask us to do what is necessary to get their business. We will negotiate. People want to keep their money in Brevard and with businesses they know and respect.”
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