RTA retail pioneer moves to larger store
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, February 16, 2004
AKRON, Ohio — Express Furniture, founded and owned by Mike Simcox, is proof that ready-to-assemble superstores have a legitimate place in the pantheon of home furnishings retailing.
Now in its 13th year here, Express Furniture has just completed the grand opening of its new 23,000-square-foot store with 15,000 square feet of showroom, a 50% jump in display space from the previous store.
"We were beyond busting at the seams," Simcox said.
Offering furniture from Bush, O'Sullivan, Office Star and Sauder as well as bedding from Serta, Express now shows nearly 700 SKUs, and the entire showroom is fully accessorized. A couple of years ago, when his leading vendor moved into its High Point showroom in the 220 Elm building, Simcox decided that would be the display standard for his store.
"We don't look exactly like Sauder yet, but we've come as close as we possibly could," he said.
For years, RTA superstores have seemed like an idea that ought to work. But only a handful of retailers have made the concept click, while quite a few others have faded from the scene.
Simcox believes Express Furniture has thrived because of selection, price and in-stock inventory — but, most importantly, because the owner is in the store every day.
"You have to be hands-on all the time," he said. "You can't be an absentee owner. It's not a format that can be copied easily. You have to be passionate about it, and you have to be here to sell it and make it work."
He added that any time his focus on the store has wavered, for big events like buying real estate or moving, "the business has suffered because of it."
Simcox offers furniture that's affordable and immediately available, but he backs that up with as much service as the customer wants, including assembly and delivery.
"We like to think we take care of our customer better than the competition," he said, adding that showing and stocking a large number of SKUs is a big advantage. "We do everything a full-line furniture store does, only we do it a little more quickly."
Simcox started out building bookcases from pine boards at his father's factory. Every weekend, he sold out, and people started asking him for more elaborate pieces. That's when he contacted Sauder and started stocking a few units. He continued to sell out, which led to his first 2,500-square-foot store in 1991.
Simcox said it's been fun to grow his business as RTA factories evolved into better, more stylish products. "Today's furniture has more style, more function and more appeal," he said. "It's a very acceptable alternative because the quality is excellent and the value is better."
