Furniture First adds 2 new members to its ranks

MIDDLETOWN, Penn. — Furniture First capped off 2023 with the addition of two retailers to its rank of members: Blowing Rock Furniture Gallery in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and Currie’s Furniture in Traverse City, Michigan.

In spring 2014, Blowing Rock Furniture Gallery opened its doors, following a restructuring necessitated by the closure of Broyhill, the namesake of the store’s prior incarnation of 10 years. A dedicated management team and new investors allowed the operation to survive and thrive.

The two-story log-cabin showroom situated along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway on Highway 321 allows customers to “shop with a view.” Today the store is owned and operated by Rhonda Smith, with her son, Jacob Smith.

Currie’s Furniture was founded in 1993 when Greg and Karlene Currie purchased a small furniture store just south of Chum’s Corners in Traverse City, Michigan. In five short years, Currie’s remodeled and doubled the size of the showroom. A state-of-the-art warehouse followed in 2016, allowing the retailer to offer the largest in-stock inventory warehouse facility in Northwest Michigan.

“Independent retailers like Blowing Rock Furniture Gallery and Currie’s Furniture are the backbone of our cooperative,” said Andrew Kauffman, chief executive officer of Furniture First. “We were founded 30 years ago by retailers, just like these two, who realized that they could buy better and be more profitable by working together. The added benefit of networking with others who face the same challenges, but are not direct competitors, makes Furniture First an even greater resource to independent stores, whether they have one location or a chain of a dozen.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our Newsletter for breaking news, special features and early access to all the industry stories that matter!


Sponsored By: