by While business has been challenging, it hasn’t stopped key figures and companies from supporting worthy causes
People used to say the furniture business is like a roller coaster — fast moving with plenty of highs and lows. Lately, though, it feels more like an endless free fall from the Tower of Doom. Instead of focusing on the excitement and opportunity of the upcoming April market, we find ourselves overshadowed by global uncertainty, tariffs and trade wars, ongoing supply chain chaos, rising fuel costs, material inflation and weakened consumer confidence. We have all been forced to be good at changing on the fly and pivoting quickly to navigate whatever new challenges come our way. And there have been many since 2020!
Through all of this turmoil, we don’t give ourselves enough credit for something else we do exceptionally well: showing up for people who need help. Take the long-standing partnership with City of Hope. Since 1965, our industry has come together to raise significant money for cancer research and treatment. My friend and mentor Furniture Hall of Famer Kevin O’Connor will be receiving the Spirit of Life Lifetime Achievement Award on April 24. His personal support for City of Hope over the years has been inspiring.
The same can be said for the industry’s work supporting the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights and human relations organization. At a time when division often feels louder than unity, the industry’s 50-year backing of initiatives that fight hate and promote understanding says something important about who we are beyond the showroom floors. This year’s dinner dance held in New York City on June 4 will honor City Furniture’s Andrew Koenig, Slumberland’s Kenny Larson and global icon Cindy Crawford.
So many retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, transporters and support companies have their own causes they support regionally or locally. What makes all of this more impressive is when and how often it happens. Not during boom years when everyone feels flush and generous, but during periods when every dollar is scrutinized. Maybe it’s because at its core, everything of what we do is about home — about comfort, stability and care. And those values don’t disappear when the market tightens; if anything, they become more important, more needed and more satisfying to be a part of.
So yes, business has been challenging. That’s the polite way to put it. But alongside these challenges is something worth recognizing and celebrating: that as an industry, even on its hardest times, we still find ways to lift others up.
That’s not just good business. That’s something to be proud of.
Todd Weinstein is a seasoned professional in the home furnishings industry with more than 30 years of experience in retail and wholesale. A self-proclaimed student of the business and community advocate, he represents best-in-class manufacturers and is on several industry and civic boards.
