By Michael J Knell,
\nKids Today<\/p>\n
EDMONTON, ALBERTA \u00e2\u20ac\u201c There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an old and too often used clich\u00c3\u00a9 that proclaims, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Parents always want what is best for their children.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
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\n For Candace Boyd, owner of Kids Furniture Gallery, this well worn truism is both a business plan and a marketing strategy, one that has secured this independent retailer a wide following in one of Canada\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fastest growing and wealthiest cities.
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Boyd was KFG\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first employee, hired by the original owners not long after it was established in 1991. At the time she had been toiling in the children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s merchandising areas of some of Canada\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading department stores including Woodward\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and Eaton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, both of which have since passed into the history books but the education they provided hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been forgotten.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They were carrying a few okay lines but they needed to improve their quality and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where I came in,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said.<\/p>\n
Today, KFG concentrates on the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbetter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbest\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 price points, leaving the mass merchants and discounters to slug it out in the dog-eat-dog entry level and promotional arenas.<\/p>\n
Boyd bought the 10,000 square foot store in 1999 and these days she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assisted by three full-time employees, including her daughter, Kelly.<\/p>\n
KFG\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s approach is simple to describe but difficult to execute on a daily basis: build relationships with customers from crib to college. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how Boyd merchandises her store and selects the suppliers with whom she partners. Indeed, her suppliers, generally speaking, are businesses not unlike her own \u00e2\u20ac\u201c family-owned and operated with a commitment to quality, building relationships with customers and involved in the communities in which they live with a respectable track record and a promising future.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A lot of our suppliers are other family-owned businesses,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They take care of their own and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we do.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Perhaps first among these partners is College Woodwork, a 100-year old juvenile and adult bedroom specialist based in Oshawa, Ontario. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They make beautiful solid birch beds, desks, hutches\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6almost everything one could want. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the best companies I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve every worked with,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said.<\/p>\n
The admiration is mutual. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Candace is the gold standard for children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s retailers,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said George Sittlinger, College Woodwork\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chief operating officer. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Her knowledge base and informed feedback have been tremendously helpful to College in new product development.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Candace\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s customer care is second to none,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kids\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Furniture Gallery offers free delivery and set-up on orders over C$500. Her installers are experienced in crib and bed assembly and are trained to solve minor problems on the spot. Purchasing from Kids Furniture Gallery is a no-stress experience.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Boyd also encourages her suppliers to work together to create a stronger merchandising presentation on her floor. For example, she worked with specialist Caramia Furniture to create colors and finishes for their cribs that co-ordinate and complement case pieces from College Woodwork.<\/p>\n
She did the same thing with two other Canadian suppliers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c B\u00c3\u00a9b\u00c3\u00a9 Confort, a producer of bed linens, and Loveable Creations, a small producer of decorative wall hangings.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This truly is a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccrib to college\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 one-stop store\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our passion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Whether the customers are experienced parents with growing teens or new parents awaiting their first baby, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re willing to help in any way possible. For new parents, we offer high-quality strollers, carseats, high chairs, nursing products, toys and, of course, cribs and dressers. For experienced parents, we carry open stock furniture lines that offer twin to king size beds and any coordinating pieces they may want.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
KFG\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s furniture assortment is heavily weighted toward solid wood collections that can grow with the child. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everything we carry is made either in Canada or the United States,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said, adding they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve recently begun carrying Stanley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Young America line. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We did venture into the overseas market once but it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work out as the quality just wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The presentation begins with 3,000 square feet of baby-focused merchandise including 32 different cribs on the floor \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all in room displays with the accompanying case pieces. It may be one of the largest such displays in Canada \u00e2\u20ac\u201c rarely do the department stores, discounters and mass merchants floor more than a half-dozen cribs, and seldom in room settings.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is something in this store for everyone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said. The room settings are complemented with an abundance of accessories of all kinds.<\/p>\n
As its name implies, this is very much a store for kids of all ages. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153While Mum and Dad are shopping, the young ones can stay occupied at one of the designated play areas, while the older ones can enjoy a seat in a cozy bean bag chair,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said.<\/p>\n
Product knowledge is vitally important, and Boyd and her staff keep up to date on the latest developments in juvenile and baby furniture. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We believe the best decision is an informed decision,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, adding much of this intelligence is garnered at events such as the ABC Expo and the Canadian Home Furnishings Market, which always has a strong baby and juvenile segment.<\/p>\n
Product is supported with service. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We offer free delivery and set-up in the greater Edmonton area on any furniture purchase over C$500,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m famous for telling my customers \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThis stuff is heavy, let my boys do it for you.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Our delivery men can remedy most manufacturing hiccups on the spot, leaving the customer with a beautiful room and no worries. Our sales staff can assist customers with such things as carseat installations, baby gate building and stroller problems. If they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve encountered the problem before, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll share the solution.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
With the oil boom driving Alberta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economy to ever-greater wealth, KFG finds itself in a prosperous niche.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The majority of our parents are 28-plus when they have their first child,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Boyd said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Generally, they want to buy better quality for the nursery than they do for the master bedroom. Both parents are professionals who work outside the home and their kids are the most important things in their lives and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re involved in every aspect of those lives. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whey they choose to deal with a store like ours.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n These customers are very quality conscious, are very color driven and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to throw anything away. They want to buy from stores and suppliers who supply something today and are able to expand that purchase tomorrow, she said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A lot of people feel they have to buy it all now because they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go back and add to it later. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something we want to avoid,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.
\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an approach that has paid off in more ways than one. In addition to a thriving business, Kids\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Furniture Gallery has won the Consumers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Choice Award for Business Excellence for the past five years.
\n To date, Boyd has resisted the temptation to open a second store. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Realistically, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really tough to make two stores work because the owner can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be in two places at once,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, adding that KFG has a solid team that works well together. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good people are few and far between in this business. If you have good people in your store, you have to keep them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Growth will probably come from other areas. For example, Boyd\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 22-year old daughter Kelly is studying interior design. Combining that with her already extensive experience in the store, could produce new service opportunities for KFG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Michael J Knell, Kids Today EDMONTON, ALBERTA \u00e2\u20ac\u201c There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an old and too often used clich\u00c3\u00a9 that proclaims, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Parents always want what is best for their children.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d For Candace Boyd, owner of Kids Furniture Gallery, this well worn truism is both a business plan and a marketing strategy, one that has secured this independent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-furniture-world-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}