l o c a l b u s i n e s s
Furnishing the Coast b y L i e s e l S c h m i d t
S electing furniture seems like it would be a simple process—walk into the store, point to a sofa, and voila! Perfection! Right? Wrong. In all actuality, the pieces you choose make a world of difference in creating the look and feel of your home. With so many different options in colors, patterns, and styles, it can be easy to feel lost and overwhelmed by all of the choices; and the trends seem to change in the blink of an eye. Regardless of how appealing those picture-perfect rooms captured in the glossy pages of designer magazines might be, even the most “of-the- moment” designs aren’t necessarily what will meet your personal needs or express your style. These are pieces that should function well in your home and fit the way you live your life, so it can be helpful to seek out the guidance of a professional when you’re looking for furniture and décor. Providing their expertise in space planning and furniture selection for the furnishing of spaces ranging from a single room to full homes and condos, the team at Furniture South has been helping their clients create their dreams for nearly a decade, offering the latest collections from more than 100 manufacturers. And with so much on site, coupled with their expertise in designing a space, the team of experts at Furniture South can build your perfect room from the carpet up, working with clients from purchase to delivery and even offering removal and set up services in order to bring your vision to life. “Our overriding mission has been to make our clients smile after the final product is installed in their home or condo. We offer ‘one-source shopping’, in which we do everything for the customer to make furnishing their home seamless,” says Frank Kovach, who co-owns the store with his wife Julie, an interior designer certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications. Boasting more than 10,000 square feet of showroom space to display their wide range of stock, they’ve certainly got room to show off their wares, offering everything from occasional chairs, couches, and ottomans to dining room furnishings and bedroom suites as well as every imaginable accessory to pull it all together. “We specialize in seamlessly providing interior design services while giving our clients a large showroom filled with the broadest range of furniture, bedding, and accessories available on the Emerald Coast,” Kovach says. “We also have a large interior design center where clients can select fabrics for upholstery and use our two free- standing kiosks to look for selections from thousands of different items.” While many people rely on visits to showrooms to make their furniture selections, Furniture South has also proven quite successful in a more virtual model of
Photos courtesy The Hive Creative Consulting LLC
recommending that delivery be done when an owner is not home, but our delivery staff is also practicing safe distancing and other measures to help keep everyone safe. We are focusing on doing more online or by appointment only business by providing access to our showroom and design center with any of our sales and design staff.” Clearly, they understand the importance of creating a home to love—especially in these times of uncertainty. And whether online or in person, they maintain a high standard of excellence in customer service, design expertise, and quality products, striving to provide “something different” and make their clients’ homes and condos more beautiful and functional, one room at a time. Furniture South is located at 4552 US Highway 98 W, Unit 8, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. For more information, call (850) 267-1411 or visit www.furnituresouth.net.
Julie and Frank Kovach
business, a great advantage for clients who live out-of- state. “We only see about 30 or 40% of our customers in person before the sale is made, so most contact is online or via email,” Kovach explains. “Many of our clients live in another state, so they take advantage of our website when making their purchase.” Such a large online presence has served them well over the years; and during the uncertainty of the current COVID-19 outbreak, the store has come to rely on it even more. “We are very aware that the outbreak has decreased our showroom business, but business online and on our website is continuing,” Kovach notes. “One of our employees is a retired nurse, and she is keeping all surfaces clean and enforcing safe distancing. We are
T H E T H I R T Y- A R E V I E W | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 0 | 2 9
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online