SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Appalachian Furniture Store—You’ll Be Amazed
Appalachian Furniture Store Owners Harley and Grace Ward relax on one of the thousands of pieces of furniture and accessories contained within their massive showroom on Highway 421 North in Boone. Appalachian Furniture Store features almost four whole floors of showroom space, a separate mattress shop and three trailers stuffed full of name-brand furnishings. Photo by Sam Calhoun After more than 10 years in business, Appalachian Furniture Store Owners Harley and Grace Ward know their business well enough to come up with a catchall slogan—“You’ll be amazed!”
“Amazed” is definitely the word. Looking at Appalachian Furniture Store’s location at 2550 Highway 421 North in Boone, the tall building seems carved from the hillside and anything but spacious. But once inside, that common misperception changes immediately. Visitors are met with rooms and rooms (and rooms) of furniture of all shapes, sizes, colors and styles. Mattresses, sofas, end tables, dining room tables and sets, rockers, recliners, chairs, lamps, paintings, pictures, coffee tables, dinette sets, beds, entertainment centers, cabinets, children’s furniture and decorative accessories are thoughtfully placed within private rooms that span almost four whole floors of showroom space. What’s more, a separate mattress shop is located on site, as well as three trailers stuffed full of name-brand furnishings that are just waiting to be discounted and placed on the showroom floor.
As customers follow the curving path through the rooms of fine furniture at Appalachian Furniture Store, they can enjoy the hometown feel mixed with a national-level product selection, which is a stark contrast to the overwhelmingly large warehouses of furniture found at national retailers. But what seems like a hometown showroom is actually a sneak peak to millions of furniture options. Almost all the furniture at the store can be customized with everything from different colors of yarn to different styles of support legs, and Grace and her team of two employees can help design exactly what the customer wants and have it special ordered.
“Customer service is what we offer,” said Harley. “We like to treat customers the way we would want to be treated.”
“We love satisfied customers. We’re out to please,” added Grace enthusiastically.
“We go the extra mile,” said Harley.
“And we do have something for everyone,” said Grace. “And we work with people, especially in these tough economic times. We care for the customer—I love them all!”
Appalachian Furniture Store features almost four whole floors of showroom space, a separate mattress shop and three trailers stuffed full of name-brand furnishings. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Once past the front door, customers are met with an immense selection of brand-name furniture and accessories that are priced well below that of stores off the mountain, said Harley. Brands such as Albany, Ashley, Best Home Furnishings, Bushline, Coaster, Comfort Aire, Corsicana, Craftmaster, Harden Tahoe Collection, Holland House, Home Elegance, Liberty, Null, Riverside, Springwall and Bassett are prominently featured on each of the store’s floors.
Harley and Grace have owned the building since 1987 and their business has now grown large enough to buy in volume, meaning they can keep overhead low, which means the customer reaps even more savings.
Harley, 54, and Grace, 53, are Boone locals and both graduated from Watauga High School. Harley is a contractor by trade and has built countless custom homes in and around the High Country. After getting out of the construction business, Harley and Grace operated a few businesses out of their current location but nothing really stuck until one of the building’s tenants, Appalachian Discount Furniture, ended its lease in 1999. Even after the business had moved out, people kept coming by the location inquiring about furniture for sale. Recognizing an opportunity, Harley and Grace capitalized on the interest, dropped the word “discount” from the name and opened Appalachian Furniture on May 15, 1999. Recently, Harley and Grace changed the name to Appalachian Furniture Store for online marketing purposes.
Though a builder, Harley did not know much about interior furnishings until he opened Appalachian Furniture Store. However, that all changed quickly.
“We did it all through hands-on experience,” said Harley. “We learned and grew as the days went by.”
“We started out little and then grew big,” added Grace. “And I ended up loving it because I love people.”
Grace’s love of people and dedication to customer service, as well as her store’s wide selection, attracts all sorts of clientele to Appalachian Furniture Store. Customers come from all over the High Country, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, and college students and second homeowners also frequent the business for all of their home furnishing needs. Local delivery is also available.
The customers come because they know they will walk out with what they need and want—not just what was available.
“If someone wants an inexpensive sofa, we can find that; if someone needs a high-end piece, we can help with that too,” explained Harley. “We’re after what the customer needs.”
Harley and Grace have no plans to retire anytime soon and assured the public that Appalachian Furniture Store will be around to serve the people of the High Country and beyond for many more years. Be sure to check out Appalachian Furniture Store between now and the holidays, as it will host sales on items such as recliners and dinette sets.
Appalachian Furniture Store is located at 2550 Highway 421 North in Boone. The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. For more information, call 828-297-5055 or click to www.appalachianfurniturestore.com.
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