Staying afloat requires work
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, August 4, 2008
I'm filing this column while at the Las Vegas Market, which was kicked off by an incredible performance by rock superstar Rod Stewart.
But even with Rod's music still in my head, I find myself thinking about the lyrics from another rock icon: Mick Jagger.
Specifically, as I think about our business, I can't stop thinking of the classic Stones line reminding us that while "you can't always get what you want, you just might find you get what you need."
Right now, what we all want is an immediate reversal of the roadblocks to our business. We want to wake up tomorrow to a vigorous economy, a growing housing market, cheap gasoline and consumers who can't wait to shop our stores.
But while that may be what we want, it's not necessarily what we need.
What we need, as a nation and an industry, is to lose our attitude of entitlement. I'll start by pointing the finger at myself. My kids feel they are entitled to live in a nice house, drive nice cars and, in a nutshell, have a nice life without breaking a sweat.
As a nation, we feel entitled to have good jobs that pay good money and have access to cheap health care, gasoline, food, energy and so on.
Closer to home, many of us in home furnishings have that same sense of entitlement. Somehow, we came to believe that we are entitled to have thriving businesses. And for many years, many of us did, simply because everyone's boat floated in high tide.
While that may have been what we wanted, it wasn't what we needed. That high tide allowed some weak players to hang on. But as the tide goes out, it becomes clear who has real staying power.
We need to throw that attitude of entitlement overboard. The good news is that while at this market, I've talked to dozens of exhibitors who have already done that, investing heavily in new products, programs and promotions. To everyone who has chosen that course, I congratulate you. May you keep the wind in your sails.
