Managing a successful family business

Rhonda Stacy, manager of Stacy's KidStuff in Texas, was born and grew up in Grapevine, Texas, during the time “when you were free to ride bikes in your hometown and your parents didn't have to worry,” she said.

“This crazy line of work was almost in my blood,” Rhonda said.

Her three brothers were in the furniture wholesale business, and at the time, needed someone to handle the details of the office “while they played golf with the buyers!” When she started working for Stacy Furniture Warehouse, it was a Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 job; they closed on holidays and any other days they wanted.

“What a different world it is on the retail side of this business,” Rhonda said.

The parent company, the wholesale representative and distribution warehouse, was started in 1975. The company represented several furniture lines and also bought in bulk and sold to smaller retailers in Texas and the surrounding states. When the Texas economy declined in the mid 1980s the business opened to the public and since 1988 it's been in retail, growing from five employees to more than 200.

Initially the company's warehouse location was in Southlake but Rick, “the visionary” as Rhonda calls him, wanted a bigger and better location. He secured a large tract of land in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area and built a mega 240,000-square-foot store. Stacy's KidStuff is part of that mega building. A second location is in Allen.

Rhonda has held “almost every position you can imagine” and she's currently responsible for the operation of the two KidStuff stores. She says she has all of the opportunities of ownership without the ultimate liability. She buys the product, arranges the showrooms, manages deliveries and works in the stores with customers.

The Grapevine store has become a destination, due in part to it being part of the mega store, the “home furnishings mall.” Stacy Furniture and Accessories is the anchor and other tenants include appliances, floor coverings, hourly drop-off baby-sitting services, a baby specialty shop, a restaurant and a contemporary specialty shop. KidStuff is one of the specialty stores inside the mall.

The store carries youth furniture and accessories from companies such as Opus Designs, Vaughan-Bassett, Largo, SLF, Pulaski, Restonic Mattress, Hillsdale, Lea Inds., Winners Only, Stanley, California Kids, Adesso, Creative Images, Fun Rugs, Southern Textiles and Lumisource.

In the larger showroom in Allen there's enough space to build some vignette walls, Rhonda says, and that helps make the displays nicer.

“We work with what we have and in the smaller showroom, we use furniture as our walls,” she said. “I don't believe we can sell air, so I have been accused of putting 10 pounds of sugar in a 5-pound sack more than once!”

The youth business has more than quadrupled since they separated it from the main line furniture store in 2002 and there are plans to add two more locations. Rhonda's goal for the future is to continue doing what they're doing, “just more of it.” She says the market area is great and the growth potential is incredible. She hopes to keep the “home town friendly atmosphere” as they broaden their demographic.

“When customers shop for youth furniture, it normally requires multiple store visits to determine measurements, style, budget and simply just to have enough stamina to complete the task with youngsters in tow,” Rhonda said. “Having been the sales manager for the main showroom for quite some time, I know how discouraging this can be for the normal commissioned retail salesperson; they invest a lot of time and often do not get the 'be back' when they actually purchase. In our small environment, we have the ability to keep track of customers and invest the time they need to make a decision, regardless of the number of trips they make before their purchase.”

Stacy's KidStuff customers are intelligent consumers, Rhonda says. Most have done some research before they ever enter the store. Rhonda acknowledges the Internet is a key research tool for most shoppers and the store receives many inquiries from Internet searches, but the store does not sell online.

Shoppers range in age from toddlers to seniors and most of the purchases are for a child's room or guest bedroom. Rhonda says they also have customers who are downsizing and moving to retirement communities.

The store reaches consumers with quarterly TV commercials, co-op direct mail campaigns and a few direct mailers. Aside from the foot traffic generated by being in the furniture mall, Rhonda says the advertising done for Stacy Furniture & Accessories also attracts buyers to her store.

Rhonda says since she works in the family business there's a fine line between her work and home life, but regardless her family has always “been a significant inspiration for everything I do. We are fortunate enough to have a unique, loving, support group of our own that no outside forces can break down. We are blessed to still have the daily support of our parents and we were raised with a strong work ethic, the Golden Rule and a hands-on approach. All of which are really important in our day to day work environment, dealing with the customers.”

Rhonda shops the Las Vegas and High Point furniture markets looking for “style, quality, longevity and value. That's what my customers are looking for every single day. I have exclusives with Opus Designs and Pulaski Build-a-Bear Workshop for our market area.”

The store offers delivery for a nominal fee through an outside service, and Rhonda's staff is always ready to help customers with room design and layout.

When all is said and done Rhonda says the most enjoyable part of her job is the friendships she's developed.

“Getting to know the customers and share in their delight at the different phases of their child's life is wonderful,” she said. “You actually become a small part of their home by getting to know their needs and helping them find solutions that best fit their lifestyle and their home. And the friendships developed with manufactures and their representatives are also important. The factories who really want to understand the customers are now asking for our input. I have developed some very special and lasting relationships with several of the major suppliers in the youth furniture business.”