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How to Increase Home Furnishing Sales with Local Repurposed Art

Posted by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis | Tue, Feb 02, 2016 @ 07:00 AM

Furniture is more about the experience than it is about being utilitarian. People are looking for statement pieces with meaning, and nothing is more in than sustainable, do-it-yourself (DIY) furniture projects. There’s even a DIY network. Home furnishing stores in tune with that trend have a competitive advantage.

If you're in charge of a home furnishings center, then you're likely following interior design blogs, reviewing sites like Houzz, and attending tradeshows in your quest for the latest trends. You’re also spending time and resources arranging your showroom to reflect those styles with the hope of satisfying existing customers and attracting new ones. While you're brainstorming how to increase home furnishing sales, take a step back from the layout of the store and think about the specific content on the floor.

To start, consider partnering with local artists specializing in sustainable, repurposed items. Featuring their wares could attract more customers as you share the promotional efforts and payoff.

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Local Artists, Local Stories

In many parts of the US, the business consciousness has returned to focusing on community resources after decades of searching elsewhere. That's why there is an emphasis on supporting local artists. Sure, there are talented people all over the globe, but chances are, there are also many in your own backyard.

Supporting artisan producers improves your company ethos — the Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation or ideology. It shows you carefully selected their work based on their talent instead of cutting corners and paying for generic items produced elsewhere.

Hunters Point Shipyard Artists is a San Francisco arts community that allows independent artists to rent a studio on the former U.S. naval shipyard.

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Of the 250 artists that utilize the grounds, Rick Bulan of Golden Gate Furniture stands out amongst the crowd. Bulan effectively tracked down leftover steel used to replace the Golden Gate Bridge’s handrail in 1994 and crafted three unique headboards. Upon realizing the potential of utilizing the historical metal to craft unique collector’s edition furniture, he founded Golden Gate Design & Furniture Company.

Louis Fry of Louis Fry Craftman and Wood is an Austin based woodworker. His artist profile on Custom Made states why he feels that quality, hand-crafted art deserves rightful recognition.

“Custom made furniture is about much more than having something built to the right dimensions or achieving a certain color,” he said. “It is about great design that may someday have historic significance. It is about achieving a level of craftsmanship that can redefine one's definition of the word ‘quality’.”

Selling Points

One of the benefits of sourcing goods locally is lower shipping costs. If your supplier lives across town, then delivery costs will be lower than shipping across the continent or an ocean. Art Fair Calendar has a list of the top art shows and craft fairs within the U.S.

What is the most effective way to feature a local art in your brick-and-mortar or virtual storefront?

Finding out more about the artist and the piece gives you hot selling points should you choose to purchase and resell. Ask the artist for a small biography about themselves. Where do they gather their supplies? How long did it take them to create the piece? What was the piece in its previous life?

Distill the information down to a 50-word description like those in art galleries. As customers walk the floor or search your online catalog, the background info will support the eye appeal stimulated by the item itself. In a perfect world, they'll read about how your company came to acquire the piece and thus create brand loyalty for both you and the artist.

Repurpose, Reclaim, Resell

Artists specializing in repurposed creations provide enormous “curb appeal” while underlining your commitment to sustainability. The San Francisco Bay Area community is fortunate to have many such artists. For example, Vivien Hart of Glass Hart creates custom glass knobs and pulls.

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Repurposing outdated or discarded furniture is a great way to be sustainable and turn a profit. With minimal items used, repurposing reduces the emissions that would be produced from creating new materials, keeps more items out of the landfill, and takes less time to construct than building a sturdy piece from scratch. Buyers will feel good purchasing a piece that leaves less of a carbon footprint on Mother Earth.

9358_Door_Panel_Cocktail_Table_grande.jpgThe people behind Black Dog Salvage repurpose and resell items that may otherwise be thrown away; the range of materials that they can transform is quite impressive, nothing is off limits. The door panel cocktail table pictured is a Black Dog Salvage creation.

The homegrown practice of do-it-yourself products doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. Pinterest has helped set the inner flame ablaze for DIY with their reported 100 million users. While pinners are creating boards based on their ideal home furnishing styles and repurposing ideas, that does not necessarily mean they have the time or interest to take action. That's where you come in. Help bring people's Pinterest boards to life without having them do the work.

Unique Statement Pieces

Not all pieces are created equally and not everyone is looking for something functional. People are more likely to purchase repurposed items if they are one-of-a-kind and there is a story behind it and/or it is sustainably produced. Offering your customers a broad selection will mean bringing in a wider audience which translates to higher profits.

Think of yourself as a collector, trend setter and an art aficionado while showcasing the sustainable practices that your company supports on your social media channels and in-store.  

Consider decorating the walls of your showroom with repurposed art. Demonstrate how customers could assemble your store items in non-traditional ways. You could pin the ideas to a Pinterest board and direct them to your site or even inspire them in-store with a collage style bulletin board. For instance, this dad turned kitchen cabinets into a platform bed with storage

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While people are inquiring about the artist and wondering what additional pieces you have by them or others, add them to your mailing list. Bringing them into your system to be notified based on their interests will increase the likelihood of them becoming repeat customers. Create a local community of DIYers by having local artists conduct workshops in your store.

Home furnishing centers provide tools that help shape people's homes, work places, offices and lives. CrossCheck offers Remote Deposit Capture to easily and sustainably accept payments by check. Our RDC service is designed to increase sales, reduce risk and enable more timely deposits for better cash flow. Checks are easily and quickly processed using a PC and image scanner, which means no more trips to the bank to do your checking. Click the image below to get a free insider's guide to handling check payments remotely.

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Topics: Home Furnishings, Increase Sales

Written by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis

Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis is an Inbound Marketer at CrossCheck in Petaluma, CA.