by Case goods resource rethinks its place in the industry — with dramatic results
HIGH POINT — When Micah Swick first joined Bernards Furniture Group as president and chief operating officer in early 2022, he brought 15 years of retail management and import experience at Raymour & Flanigan along with several years of import, marketing and product development experience on the supply side of the business.
Since then he has used that collective industry knowledge and experience to achieve one of the most significant company turnarounds in recent years. Simply put, it’s an evolution that has turned Bernards into a style leader in the mid-to-upper–mid-priced segment with a mix of whole-home collections and line extensions in segments such as primary and youth bedroom and accent furniture.
For Swick, accomplishing this was a way to offer customers a value proposition that elevated the company beyond its roots as a supplier of lower-middle priced bedroom and dining furniture.
A key part of that strategy has been to develop full collections of bedroom, dining and occasional it has created in partnership with award-winning designer Stephanie Lena. Today, these collections offer not only elevated design — they also incorporate a mixed-media approach Swick said offers “the elements and attention to detail one would expect from the luxury brands.”
“We are reimagining our business, our products and our place in the industry,” he said, noting that this started with an idea born from frustration. “As a buyer, I wanted to offer retail customers all the look and quality of the luxury brands, but the obstacles made it almost impossible. Among the immediate challenges were things like price, scale, deliverability.”
“But opportunities often present themselves as challenges,” Swick added. “We hired a multiple times Pinnacle Award-winning designer and went to work at solving my frustrations. We design and import luxury home furnishings at upper-middle price points that are scaled to fit the average American home and are deliverable.”
Examples of this include the 70-piece Citrus Heights launched in spring 2023, followed up by the 70-piece Assemblage launched in October 2023.
The following year, the company introduced its Apex line, which focused on the higher-end segment of the business, targeting independent designers and brick-and-mortar retailers that offer design services. It debuted with the 80-piece Trilogy launched in April 2024, followed by the 50-piece Calia collection and the 50-piece Pagosa launched this past April.
These and other collections, including those launched under the Bernards moniker, all have been designed by Lena. In each case, having large lifestyle introductions ranging from 50 to 80 pieces also allows the company to “immerse their retail partners in each collection,” Swick noted.
“The team redecorates and accessorizes the showroom for each market to help share their vision of the collection and its place in the market,” Swick said. “As you move through the showroom, buyers are transported from the Arizona desert to Southern California to the New York cityscape.”
Swick noted that the goal has been to stay focused and make it easier for the retailer to shop the line. In other words, instead of “developing and introducing multiple groups and hoping something resonates with buyers, Bernards introduces just one or two whole-home collections per market.”
While to some, this might seem risky, Swick sees it differently.
“We aren’t just throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks,” he said. “Rather, we discipline ourselves to study the marketplace and pay close attention to details; we leave less to chance.”
He added that in most cases, the company sources the cases for an entire collection from a single factory so retailers can purchase across the collection in a single container.
“Buying wide, rather than deep, better supports just-in-time inventory models, keeps turns high and facilitates better cash flow,” he said, adding that the company also creates and deploys a unique website for each whole-home collection.
“While most companies focus on increasing SEO, driving traffic, getting clicks and drops-offs, Bernards designs its product websites and catalogs to support their retail partners’ sales efforts, believing that supporting their partners is the best way to grow their own business,” Swick said.
The company also has expanded other parts of the line, including youth and accent furniture. In each case, the goal is to stay focused on meeting identified needs in the marketplace.
“In the case of our teen/spare bedroom introductions, we saw a need for better styled, updated looks,” he said. “Teens are more discerning than ever and make their own selections today.”
“Additionally, an aging population that is sizing down has resulted in an increased demand for twin and full beds, but they aren’t looking for children’s furniture,” he added. “What we saw in the marketplace was children’s furniture and dated early American styling. Our offerings have been very well received.”
He added that the catalyst for expanding its accents presence and building a mixed container occasional program was to address voids “created by the unfortunate closures of some of our colleagues and partner retailer requests. We are excited to be highlighting these programs this market.”
The expanded accent and occasional program also has heightened the company’s living room presentation, featuring full vignettes of upholstery shown with occasional tables. Swick said that upholstery falls under both Bernards and the designer-centric Apex line.
“We added upholstery for a couple of very important reasons,” he said. “1) It softens the presentation and reinforces our lifestyle approach; it completely changes the ambience of the showroom. 2) In today’s busy and complex climate, business must be simple and easy. Offering upholstery that naturally ties into the collection makes it easy for our retail partners to replicate what we are doing in the showroom. They don’t have to go try to source upholstery elsewhere that fits with the collection.”
With the exception of tariffs, Swick said, product pricing under the new model has not changed much.
“The change was more about our approach to product design and how I wanted to position Bernards in the marketplace,” Swick said, noting that bed prices have stayed the same on Vietnam-sourced product.
He added that the company’s distribution model also aims to make it easier for dealers to purchase the line.
“The model used to be large MOQs via container or warehouse with a minimum purchase of $3,000,” Swick said. “Staying true to our ‘keep it simple and easy strategy,’ today we have no minimums out of the warehouse and each whole-home collection may be mixed on a single container.”
Swick said the company’s new direction is resonating in the marketplace. He noted that customer accounts are up 400% over the past three years, including a 240% increase last year. He noted that the company also has seen strong growth this year.
One of the company’s biggest challenges moving forward, he said, is to get retailers to come into the showroom and see the line in the Atrium at 430 S. Main St. in High Point. But as always, the product continues to be the draw.
New this market is the 60-piece Linne collection, also designed by Stephanie Lena and part of the Apex line. Made with American oak veneers, it has two dining rooms and one bedroom featuring two beds.
A five-piece dining set with a UV, scratch-resistant finish retails at $1,499 and a four-piece bedroom starts at $2,499. It also offers upholstery, with a sofa starting at $1,099, as well as home entertainment, occasional and accent furniture.
Swick added that several pieces in Linne will ship standard with two bases including a modern plinth base that can be quickly and easily removed and replaced with four legs, offering a more transitional, elevated look.
He noted that several items also are offered in two finishes.
“Imagine being able to offer two unique bedrooms to consumers but only having to inventory one — half the dollars and half the warehouse and showroom space,” he said. “Or, if the retailer wants to offer both colors, they can market four.”
Given how much the company has evolved, he is eager for customers to see both the new and inline product this market.
“Quality products, perhaps especially home furnishings, have to be seen, touched and sat in to be appreciated,” he said. “You can sell cheap from a photo, but you must experience luxury and quality to appreciate it.
“Hearing retailers come into the showroom and say, ‘Wow, your products are really different from everything else we’ve seen,’ makes me smile every time,” he said, adding, “We aren’t just building a business, we are adding value.”
