By RC BALABAN, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS — Most businesses have landmark dates in company history.
That was the day the original store in the 500 block of Main Street burned to the ground in the largest fire the city had seen in a decade.
“That’s when the real refurbishment happened,” said Dale Emmert, president of Simpson Furniture.
The fire wasn’t even fully extinguished before then-president David Sandvold vowed to rebuild on the same site. By October, Simpson Furniture was up and running again.
Not only did the store reopen, it grew. From 1984 to 1997, the store went through three expansions before the company purchased the former Latta warehouse at 2218 Main St. That location served as the company’s warehouse before also becoming Rooms 4 Less.
“From ’46 to now, our showspace has probably grown about 10 times in square footage,” Emmert said.
The company, celebrating its 60th anniversary, employs about 40, the most to date.
“A strength of our longevity is that so many of our employees have been with us so long,” Emmert said. “We have lots of people who have been here 15 to 30 years, and, in retail, that’s pretty unusual.”
Marla Channer will have been with the company 29 years in December. She finds working there enjoyable.
“I’ve never had any reason to look elsewhere,” Channer said.
Tom Cagley, who has been with Simpson Furniture for 15 years, enjoys dealing with customers, some of whom have been coming to the store for years.
“It’s something when you’re selling to somebody, and now you’re selling to their kids,” Cagley said.
Such longevity extends to the top. The company has had just four presidents in its 60 years.
R.L. Simpson opened the store in 1946 and served as president until the ’70s. Sandvold joined Simpson Furniture in 1948 and worked his way up to president. David Olson became president after Sandvold, and now serves as board chairman. Current president Emmert has been with the company since 1984.
Stability at the helm has been a factor in Simpson’s longevity. Another is the ability to meet customer demand.
“A big factor is that since we’re locally owned. We can change quicker than a lot of our competition can,” Emmert said.
Simpsons doesn’t have to wait for permission from on high to respond to the latest trends.
Challenges facing the company are like those of most businesses: controlling expenses and increases sales.
“And we always keep our eye on other markets — Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, that type of thing, to see if opportunities show there that we may take advantage of,” Emmert said.
With 60 years under its belt, Simpson Furniture goes beyond having repeat customers. Some sales people will run into second- or third-generation customers.
“It’s not uncommon for them to say, ‘My grandparents shopped there’ or ‘I still shop there.’ It makes you feel good,” Emmert said.
Contact RC Balaban at (319) 291-1418 or rc.balaban@wcfcourier.com.
