By Dana Knight
In its quest to be one of the largest furniture retailers in the nation, Indianapolis-based The Simple Furniture Co. has landed a big national


retailer to sell its no-tools-required line of bookshelves, chairs and desks.

The parts snap into place: The Simple Furniture Co., founded by Scott Molander, also is talking with Urban Outfitters and Crate & Barrel’s CB2. – ALAN PETERSIME / The Star 2013 file photo
The furniture is modern and simple. And it just so happens that Target Corp. likes modern and simple. The mega-discount retailer, which prides itself on being trendier and more high-end than some of its competitors, announced Tuesday that it will sell the furniture at Target .com.
“It just really fits the customer Target is trying to get,” said Scott Molander, founder of the furniture company and a former executive and founder of Hat World. “It has a little bit of an edge. Our product was modern and contemporary and hip for them.”
Nabbing a big name like Target is a dream, Molander said. But he hopes it is just the beginning.
Molander is tapping into what the furniture industry calls the ready-to-assemble market, which makes up nearly 10 percent of the $77 billion furniture industry. Experts credit Ikea, known for its modern designs sold from a warehouse, for starting the craze.
Molander’s company, which sells online and doesn’t yet have stores, also is talking to other popular retailers such as Urban Outfitters and CB2, an online destination for modern furniture from Crate & Barrel.
The way the deals work: Molander sells his products to the retailers at wholesale, and they sell it for the same price or more than what it’s listed for on The Simple Furniture Co.’s Web site, www.realsimplefurniture.com.
Molander believes his product is grabbing the eye of national retailers not just because of the look, but the easy assembly. Not one tool is required — just two hands to snap the pieces together, something furniture experts say is a first in the industry. In February, Stefan Wille, president of Aktrin Furniture Information Center in High Point, N.C., said he had never heard of or seen anything like The Simple Furniture Co.’s product.
Target is pitching the line as it focuses on back-to-college students. It has created a “no assembly required” area on its Web page just for the Indianapolis retailer. Target, however, declined to say why it chose to work with The Simple Furniture Co.
“(Target does) sell quite a few products on the Web site — including bookcases, chairs, end tables, coffee tables, media shelves, desks, et cetera,” said Elisabeth Opalka, a spokeswoman for Target.com. “Unfortunately, Target is not able to comment on the relationship with the vendor.”