WHFA adding services, members
Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, June 2, 2003
San Diego — As the Western Home Furnishings Assn. continues to add services, the group also continues to add members.
In a state-of-the-association interview, Executive Director Sharron Bradley said she's been pleased that the western-states affiliate of the National Home Furnishings Assn. has been able to maintain the momentum passed on from her predecessor, Dave Lane.
WHFA membership continues to rise, and at the time of the association's conference here, it stood at 1,022 retailers, up from 963 at the end of 2002.
"I think we're helping people see the value of membership," Bradley said.
"Membership shouldn't be a goal but an investment."
Attendance at the association's conference was up, too, reaching 280 from the 230 on hand at last year's event in Hawaii.
"We focused on offering as many educational opportunities as possible, and that will continue," Bradley said. "Our goal was to make it a must-do event that everyone feels they can't afford to miss."
Next year's conference and trade show will be held in Phoenix.
While the most utilized WHFA programs and services continue to be the meat-and-potato business services and products that a trade group can buy in bulk — such as business insurance, consumer financing, delivery products and lightbulbs — Bradley says she's been impressed by the idea-sharing that takes place among members.
"What makes this group successful is the strong interaction among the various retailers who participate," she said. "That creates a very cohesive environment that allows all of us to be more productive."
Bradley said the WHFA will unveil two new services this summer. One is an internship guide, to be distributed free to members at the July market in San Francisco.
"One of the things the industry has been telling us is that they need and want more young people, and when I suggested interns, they said, 'Great, how do we do it,'" she said.
Also, the association is working with the Profitability Consulting Group to develop a procedures manual.
"It's going to cover almost everything you need to know and do to successfully run a furniture store," Bradley said.
The manual will be distributed by the WHFA, with members receiving a discount.
