Jeff Linville
Retail test exceeds expectations

AT THE MARKET — High-end furniture maker Harden is showcasing a new gallery program this market after a successful trial at three stores.

The full-line manufacturer, based in McConnellsville, N.Y., held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning in its showroom for the Harden Home Studio program, its first in-store concept. The company has invited executives from the three test stores to its space at 200 N. Hamilton St. to tell about their results, which Harden said exceeded expectations in sales, profitability, reception by store staff and consumer response.

Harden will hold a breakfast seminar here at 8 a.m. Friday led by Martin Roberts, president of Grid2 International, which designed the gallery prototype, and Al Wight, president of Strategic Decisions, who conducted consumer research for Harden. The company shows at 200 N. Hamilton, space
S-110.

Speaking at the seminars about the gallery tests are Leigh Capshaw, Gallahan’s Furniture, Fredericksburg, Va.; Brian Staub, The Woods, Colts Neck, N.J.; and Todd Lehman, Interiors, Lancaster, Pa.

Harden expects to open some 50 Home Studio galleries this year. They require only 1,000 square feet of space and come with signage, lighted kiosks, catalogs and customization options.

The company offers 850 fabrics, 31 standard wood finishes and 35 styles of hardware. Delivery is in six to eight weeks.

The high-end, full-line manufacturer showed an early version of the concept — then called Harden Expo — to retailers at the October market, and in November installed it in Gallahan’s, Interiors and The Woods — stores of varying sizes. It made some adjustments based partly on the in-store experience, said Doug Cleveland, the company’s national sales manager.

“It really emphasizes the features and benefits of the Harden brand,” said Cleveland. That information is given more emphasis than in the first version of the display, which had more of a focus on the fact that the line is one of a dwindling number that is still primarily U.S.-made.

“The competition in our business is so brutal now that it is not enough to just stand there and say that we make it in America,” said Cleveland. “We have to show what’s in it for the consumers.”

The presentation also points out the company’s ability to customize pieces, with the goal of generating a higher volume of big-ticket special orders. The test stores reported significant Harden sales gains, Cleveland said.