Retail Success: Room to Room

ROOM TO ROOM: WHERE KINDNESS COUNTS
Interview with Lisa Hawkins

This Mississippi based retailer cares for and about its workers customers, employees and community. Running the show is Lisa Hawkins who says what she means and has a talent for getting her customers to tell her what they think.

Lisa Hawkins, president of Room to Room Furniture in Tupelo, Mississippi, never thought she would end up in the furniture business.

“Before retail, when dinosaurs roamed the earth,” she told Furniture World, “I earned a master’s degree in nursing, became a nurse practitioner and taught nursing school.” Her first successful venture into retail with her husband Jim was a children’s and ladies’ clothing store called The Velveteen Rabbit, which they closed in 1992 to be able to spend more time with their children Jay and Mary Frances.

“After that, I got involved in every non-profit in the community and worked for free. In 2002, I was approached to do a GOB for Hancock Furniture here in Tupelo. My husband Jim, who is a talented finance guy, and I realized it would be a good business to own. We sold everything to the walls and reopened it fresh on April 17, 2003. Just like that, we were in the furniture business.”

Not a Cookie-Cutter Type Store
“We don’t want Room to Room to be cookie-cutter like many other retail operations,” she explained. “We have three 35,000-square-foot buildings joined together. Most value-priced items are in the first building because we would hate shoppers to get sticker shock as they walk in the front door. There, we feature lines such as Ashley, Best Home Furnishings and Craftmaster, to name a few. Motion is located in two different areas, and dining is a separate department. We carry North Carolina and Mississippi lines and as many local vendors as we can fit into our business model. We did a good bit with United/Lane when they were in business. What happened to their employees broke my heart. Behold and Ashley replaced some of that product. We also sell nicer things that will be heirlooms one day. We carry amazing value-priced products made about 20 miles from our store. Most of our operations areas are located in our third building.

“Room to Room sells every home furnishng item our customers could want except for floor coverings. Shoppers find lots of unique products here, and the store is highly accessorized because we’re a ‘girl store.’”

Retail Culture
When speaking with Hawkins, it quickly became apparent that Room to Room’s primary mission is caring for people: customers, employees and the community.

“We are a family,” she observed, “so our goal is to give people opportunities to grow and heal. We’ve been blessed to find all kinds of wonderful folks, some of whom needed a second chance in life and who’ve recovered from addictions, hurts and brokenness. In my view, just about everyone is broken in some way.”

Hawkins believes that Room to Room is more than a furniture store. “One of the best things about our store is the community work we do. We’re intensely involved, always looking for ways to serve and help. That creates camaraderie among our staff as well.”
Store Experience

“When shoppers enter the store, we don’t ask what they came in to find. Instead, salespeople ask if they’ve been in before and if there is a staff member they prefer to work with. First-time shoppers get a breakdown of what’s going on in the store and its layout. The approach is very homey.

“We try to make an immediate connection with shoppers, not just sell them something. We listen and work to meet their needs. Many people who visit our store have medical issues as well as home furnishings needs, and I’m pretty good at helping them with those issues.”

Every New Day
“Every morning starts with a team meeting. We share what’s happening with our families and our customers and try to show gratitude for what we have. The group might speak about great experiences with customers and pray over different needs. That’s our culture.” Hawkins added that Room to Room’s store manager, Dan Patterson, presents educational information and stories that add value to these meetings.

Buying Group Benefits
“We belong to Furniture First. My son Jaye, who works on the finance side and runs our mattress department, belongs to Furniture First’s NextGen Gamma group. Our general manager Dan Patterson is in Lorri Kelley’s performance group, and I’ve been in the Beta Group for seven years. We compare financial results, best practices and are exposed to ideas developed by generational retailers. I’ve also served on the Furniture First board, a great honor and opportunity.”

Sleep Stories
Room to Room is well known for its mattress department, which features Aireloom, Beautyrest Black, Harmony, and Mattress First by Serta. Hawkins said she likes to focus on the bedding department because she’s seen “amazing things happen in people’s lives when they find a proper sleeping surface. I want to ensure shoppers know that investing in a great mattress will make a huge difference in the quality of their work and home lives.

“We have the Support Report Mattress Analyzer system first used in neonatal ICUs to help preemies avoid bed sores. It brings me so much joy when I run into people in the community who thank me for helping them find the best mattress for their needs.”

Merchandising Stories
Hawkins shared that she has a great team that does merchandising and display. “We like to support Mississippi businesses, manufacturers such as J Furniture, Homestretch, and Crestview. We also recently opened a gift shop inside the store featuring Peter’s Pottery made in the Mississippi Delta, which has been a great addition. Shoppers who have never seen our store come in to see the pottery. It breaks the ice. They see our selection and find out that we’re friendly. So when they think about furniture, they remember us.”

Design Services
“We try to make sure every one of our customers gets the design services they need. That can include creating room plans, selecting fabrics, and providing color and paint ideas.
“Some people fear being pressured into buying too much, but often, we help shoppers see the value of budgeting their purchases in a series of steps. Once they understand that, it all falls into place. Then we help them select what’s most important to them, now and in the future.”

Selling Memories
Hawkins believes that home furnishings purchases are intertwined with memories. “At Room to Room,” she explained, “we’re selling memories, not sofas. And that’s especially true during the holidays. People remember lounging on a sofa or a recliner as a child, watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and sitting around the Thanksgiving table. What we do at Room to Room connects with those experiences.”

Social Media Genius
Room To Room uses all the usual retail advertising vehicles, broadcast, OTT and other platforms to build its brand and increase traffic.

However, where they stand out is on social media, especially Facebook, where they’ve built a relationship with their 45,000 Facebook followers. Surprisingly, they don’t boost a lot of their posts.

“I feel so sorry for my poor marketing person, Heather,” noted Hawkins. “I’m constantly coming up with ideas for social media posts and events.

“We use social media to promote many giveaways. Recently, we gave away a couple of Taylor Swift tickets. Oh my gosh, that was nuts. It’s like winning a game when we post something on social media that people really want, follow, share and tag their friends.

“I boost posts occasionally,” Hawkings said, “but our engagement is more organic because the nature of what we share is all about having fun, telling stories and creating memories.

“We do at least two Facebook posts daily and more at certain times of the year, send weekly newsletters and post to Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and TikTok.”

Welcome to Market
Hawkins shared an example of the power of social media and how it benefits her decision-making. “Our followers like to be involved with what we buy,” she observed. “We let them know when items come in to the store so they can come in to see them. And they do! At a recent High Point Market,” she recalled, “our buying team came across giant chaises covered in a ribbed, fuzzy corduroy fabric made to seat perhaps two and a half people. I thought, ‘These things will never sell, and they will never fit in anybody’s house!’ We posted a picture of our buyers sitting in one of those chairs, asking for opinions. It went viral. Customers pre-ordered and paid before we even received them. Sometimes you never know what the customers want until you ask them.”

Room to Room’s Market posts are straightforward. Here are some examples: “Tell us what you think!!— Headed to High Point Market. Anything you want us to find for you?—Videos of the team on the bus to market—walking around town—Check out Amber’s adventure in the chair gallery—fresh flowers of High Point market always amaze me! Fresh flowers remind me of my grandmother Wood—NEED YOUR INPUT!!!! Y’all are so helpful!!!!—You’ve got to see this new leather from Craftmaster!—Designer ideas from High Point Market-accessorizing consoles.”

Social Media Authenticity
Anyone who knows social media will advise that authenticity is the most important attribute to cultivate. “I’m a country girl from Mississippi, and everybody knows it,” said Hawkins. “For a long time, I thought that wasn’t good enough. Well, that was a lie from the devil! We can create joy and have fun with others by being ourselves. If you have a messed-up hair day, own it and share it. Highlight your store and what about it is important to you. We engage the community to become involved, and we present community needs on social media to encourage others to help make a difference in people’s lives. You will reap what you sow, so sow something good!”

More Ideas & Events

VIP Signup: “People can sign up to join our R2R VIP Club. Data is dollars is what I always say. VIP Club members receive texts and emails to find out first when we have giveaways or events such as our Black Friday Sale. Weekly emails may include a recipe, information about an event, and new arrival information about products with limited availability.

“We tell shoppers that if they want to know what’s going on at Room to Room or win something, they need to be VIPs. Sign-up QR code signs are all over the store. We promote VIP membership on television and in the local newspaper, which is still somewhat significant for us. The message is everywhere. We’ve even done some billboards.”

Holidays Are Important: “Holidays are important to Room to Room. Our calendar of events starts on a Thursday evening early in November, with an open house and lots of food. It feels like a family reunion. “Santa comes to town on Black Friday to help with a fundraiser for regional rehab,” said Hawkins. “We ask for a minimum $20 donation. We also take reservations for $50 and get booked.

“Hundreds of people come year after year during the holidays. These events bring in a younger demographic who might think they can’t afford to purchase here. Parents bring their children for photo opportunities and to enjoy hot chocolate, spiced cider, donut holes, and much more. It’s an opportunity for us to break the ice with people who might never have come in and build relationships.”

The Children’s Mansion Charity: “There’s an orphanage here in Tupelo called Tupelo Children’s Mansion. The children’s pictures are displayed in the store so that shoppers can look at the photos and ‘adopt a child’ for the holidays, donating pajamas and house shoes the kids can wear on Christmas Eve.

“Toys are brought in, and we host a wrapping party so the community can come and wrap gifts for the children. On Christmas Eve, over a hundred children unwrap their pajamas, and Santa gives each child five gifts.”

Home for the Holidays Give-Away: “This is the first year we accepted applications from people asking us to fly loved ones home for the holidays, a graduation, a death in the family, or just to be together as a family.”

Lisa’s Cooking Videos: Hawkins loves to cook and share recipes. Room to Room’s social media allows her to do both. “My grandmother was a wonderful cook and an amazing woman. She had few resources but used everything she had to make things special for us. I love sharing her recipes and cooking for store events. Home, family and cooking are all tied up with memories. Oh my gosh, I’m cuckoo about cooking.”

Buy or Bid Event Creates Frenzy: “Buy or Bid was a spur-of-the-moment idea we came up with to make space for new inventory. Closeout items on the floor were tagged for immediate purchase, but shoppers could instead, take a chance and slip a bid in a box. For items that hadn’t already sold, whoever offered the highest bid, above a minimum amount, won.
“It created a frenzy. People saw other non-clearance items they wanted. That resulted in a huge Saturday for Room to Room. People came back later in the day to shake the box. If it seemed like there were a lot of bids, some slipped in another higher bid.”

Open House Events: “We have spring, holiday and other open house events that unveil store decorations or introduce new fragrances in our candle department. Lots of food is served. People have a nice time.”

Lisa’s From the Heart Messages: “Messages from the heart are simple reminders: short positive messages, for example, wishing people a wonderful Christmas together and reminding them that the season is all about being with family to create memories, slow down, stay at home and enjoy their time together.”

Furniture First’s Kissing Cancer Goodbye Events: “When I served on Furniture First’s board, we talked about developing a charitable program that each Furniture First store could adapt to use in their local communities. One of our performance group members, Jessica (Talsma) Smith from Talsma Furniture, told us about their event, Kissing Cancer Goodbye, and they created a marketing plan around that idea. It was later adopted by the Furniture First board as our flagship charity event.

“Room to Room’s event featured a hot pink lip-shaped sofa that people sat on to have their photos taken and post on social media. For a donation of $5, guests could remember a loved one on a ‘wall of heroes’ and tag Room to Room using the hashtag ‘KissingCancerGoodbye’ for a chance to win a weekend getaway. We collected funds to benefit our local healthcare foundation and a cancer center. Our customers donated food, blankets and hats to help stock the cancer center pantry, to help cancer patients who’ve been economically impacted. A church group crocheted caps. Sudoku and crossword puzzles were collected as were all sorts of other things people can do while having chemo. Other Furniture First member stores have had or are planning their unique Kissing Cancer Goodbye-themed events.”
Room to Room’s Future: When Furniture World asked Hawkins if she planned to expand her operation, she replied, “Probably, but who knows what we’ll come up with. One thing is a sure bet. My husband Jim is already retired, but I will probably work, I jokingly say, until my funeral, which will be held here at the store. During visitation, people will be able to shop after hours, so nobody needs to miss work!”

Kindness Counts
“Concluding this interview, Hawkins observed, “Little things matter a lot. For example, it was colder than usual in Tupelo last year. I noticed one of my delivery guys was wearing a coat with a warming battery, so we bought new coats for everyone in the warehouse. Also, retailers need to remember that when they treat their people as individuals, loyalty is a welcome byproduct. Sometimes, folks will disappoint, but it’s important to remember we are not responsible for the outcomes. We’re only responsible for what we do. So try to go out in the world and do good. Life is too short to be a mulligrub! Those are my parting words to Furniture World’s readers.”

HIGHLIGHTS

“Buy or Bid was a spur-of-the-moment idea. It created a frenzy.... That resulted in a huge Saturday for Room to Room.”

“We can create joy and have fun with others by being ourselves. If you have a messed-up hair day, own it and share it. Highlight your store and what about it is important to you.”

“Where they tand out is on social media, especially Facebook, where they’ve built a relationship with their” 45,000 followers.”