Furniture store expands to Petoskey in response to customer demand
PETOSKEY — Jessica Steffel and her husband, Brandon, have been operating Great Rooms Furniture and Mattresses in Gaylord since 2013. Over the years, customers from Petoskey have made the 45-minute drive to purchase items for their homes.
"As we have grown we have had customers from the Petoskey area and some of them have asked us directly to open a store there," said Steffel.
Last month, the Steffels did just that and opened Little Traverse Furniture and Mattresses on Spring Street. Partnering with Steven and Monique Emerson, who will manage the Petoskey store, Jessica said both locations are full-line furniture stores.
"We looked at the void in the market created by the closing of Art Van in 2020 and we wanted to give customers a chance to shop with us in both locations," Steffel said.
Both stores feature these furniture brands: England custom order upholstered furniture made in Tennessee, Amish custom order items for dining rooms, bedrooms, occasional, and outdoor and mattress brands Tempur-Pedic, Stearns and Foster and Sealy. Each store will also carry other brands.
Steffel said being part of the BrandSource buying group will help both stores to better serve customers.
"It pays to network with good people. We receive a lot of training and support from our national buying group. It also gives us better buying power to get good deals for our customers," she said.
The Steffels were new to the business in 2010 when they opened Great Rooms in Gaylord selling used furniture. When the Ben Franklin store on Main Street closed in 2012, they purchased the building, remodeled it and began selling new items.
"We didn't grow up in it and we didn't inherit anything. It has all been us learning what better serves our customers and what lines to bring in. We have continued to reinvest everything back into the business to continue to grow," said Steffel.
"We don't come in with a history or a certain mindset," she continued. "We have created our own systems. We really want to be known for having a great customer experience from start until the finish. If you look at our reviews on Google we get that right."
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To keep a pulse on emerging trends and themes, Steffel said they go out and talk directly to the vendors.
"There is a lot of tradition that will always stay — the tried and true. We also want to have what is new and fun and interesting as well. One of the hot trends now is the real super soft corduroy fabric. There are also new colors like green and blue that is making an impact on furniture," she said.
Steffel said both stores can cater to any budget.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Furniture store expands to Petoskey in response to customer demand
