Playground for success: The Wooden Swing

Royce Piper and her husband founded The Wooden Swing in Dallas in 1978 and sold outdoor play equipment.

Her product selections — large redwood play systems — were novel in a world of metal swing sets. A few years later she added youth furniture to her product mix and when she moved to her current location in 1985 she made a stronger commitment to furniture and accessories for kids rooms. Piper handles the day-to-day business, including buying and merchandising, while her husband has stepped out of the business now and mainly takes care of the payroll and accounting aspects.

"Things have certainly changed since we started the company," Piper said. "We were the first in Dallas with the wooden play sets, now everyone hasthem. Children's rooms back then were furnished with the old bed out of the attic and the chest of drawers you painted. The industry has really changed."

Piper said The Wooden Swing is unique not only for the two main categories it sells but also the variety and options within each category. She's not afraid to pick up new vendors when she finds something she likes or thinks will work in the store. Also, stellar customer service plays a big part in the company's success.

"We really work hard on our customer service," she said. "Being a small business we have to make that our priority. In the store, we aren't going for that one particular look some stores have, we just want to sell customers what they really want."

Piper has grown her business to more than $1 million in annual sales and has three locations, though only one has furniture and accessories. At The Wooden Swing on Inwood Road in Dallas, about 4,000 square feet is devoted to kids' rooms.

Piper said selling outdoor play equipment and furniture is a good mix because consumers typically buy furniture and swings during the fourth quarter and when the swing business is slow in January and during the summer, the furniture business is good. The Wooden Swing holds furniture sales during these times to further promote that side of the business.

Slow-moving merchandise is moved to the discount room in the back but the decision to move it there varies from product to product.

"If we've changed a theme or color scheme we make a decision to get rid of it right then and move it to the discount room," Piper said. "Otherwise we put product in there if it's become shop worn or the product itself had a short life span or if it's sat around for 4–5 months."

The store carries furniture from My Room, Vermont Precision, John Boyd and Young America; textiles from California Kids, Fireside Comfort, Davenport and Terra Sutta; wall décor from Creative Images, Renditions by Reesa, Oopsy Daisy, Vintage Gardens, Smile for the Birdie and Kid Kraft. It also has rugs from The Rug Market and accessories from CBK, Two's Company and Twelve Timbers. Piper shops the ABC Expo and the Dallas markets.

Piper shows twin and full beds on the floor, which retail between $500 and $600 and $1,000 respectively and actually has more full beds on display.

"I've seen a definite increase in the number of full beds versus twins sold," she said. "I don't really understand this though because usually kids' rooms are the smallest ones in the home."

Since the store has been around so long and has name recognition, Piper spends little on advertising. Her main form of advertising is in local publications like Dallas Child, though to advertise a promotion she might use the newspaper and has used direct mail as well.

Though gas prices continue to rise and are a serious issue for retailers, The Wooden Swing has always delivered for free, including the charge in the price. Today Piper does charge a nominal fee for deliveries outside the area, but for the most part the free delivery is a great selling point with customers.

"Free delivery has been a great selling point for us" Piper said. "Even though the fee is built into the price, it's the positive perception people appreciate."

She's noticed a few trends in the industry, namely that black is a big furniture color these days, for both girls and boys. The distressed look also is selling strong. Piper noted that with kids growing up so fast, certain themes have a shorter life span than they used to, like ballerinas for girls and transportation for boys. "We have to be careful that the themes don't look too nursery," she said. "Kids want an older look in their rooms."

Piper rotates product from the front of the store to the back about once a month and changes vignettes periodically. Some form of ballerina will always be good for little girls, but Piper said the groovy, funky girl theme is starting to fizzle out and for boys, cowboy and Western looks are in and so is lodge. Top-selling categories include furniture and kid-sized furniture and accessories like frames and wall décor; bedding, once a big category, has gone down in sales.

"My store wouldn't work in New York," she said. "Because we're in Texas, the lodge and Western looks are popular. We don't try to make the trends though, we try to interpret what we see and respond to what our customers ask for."

Piper's business philosophy is to be educated about the product and convey that to your customers rather than trying the used car salesman approach.

The best part about her job, she said, is working with the customers and helping them put their rooms together.

"It's a fun, positive business," Piper said. "People get excited about their rooms and you get excited for them."

As a small business owner who's survived almost 30 years, Piper has a few words of wisdom to share,

"Stay involved in every level of your business," she said. "Know what's going on in your delivery department, know what's being advertised in the current ad. I let my employees have a lot of liberty and I appreciate their input and ideas but I have the final say. Don't detach yourself from the business too much."

Sassy tween looks hit the mark with girls wanting a "grown up" room.

Piper shows more full beds than twins these days, and black finishes seem to prevail with their sophisticated look.

Deep in the heart of Texas, the western theme is a must for many little boys.

The Wooden Swing started out as the only wooden outdoor play equipment store in Dallas and added youth furniture in 1985 to expand its market. What may have seemed an odd combination to some has proven to be a successful mix for owner Royce Piper.

Myriad accessories are found throughout the store adding whimsy and fun to the vignettes.

The high ceilings provide lots of wall space, which is filled with a variety of themed décor.