Tennessee Furniture/Rug Retailer Celebrates 1st Ye

Spring Hill, TN, January 17--Judy and Robert Wakefield have just celebrated their first year in business as Spring Hill Furniture and Oriental Rugs. Because Robert Wakefield grew up in Spring Hill and Judy has lived there for 35 years, they both feel they know what their customers could want, according to the Tennessean. Located at 2526 Duplex Road in Spring Hill, the store carries a large selection of Oriental rugs with sizes beginning with runners and continue with a variety of sizes up to 12x15 foot. They also have a large selection of rockers, both finished and unfinished, sofas, chairs, dining room tables and chairs, bedroom furniture and children's items. The Journal spoke to Judy Wakefield recently about the business. Q: How did the business start? A: We had a dry cleaning service and sold some furniture. A year ago we decided that with all the shopping centers coming in there would be many dry cleaners. So we decided to go into furniture only. We're off the main road plus people are not going to drive a long way to go to a dry cleaners. Q: Why the furniture business? A: My husband and I knew a man at the flea market in Nashville and had bought some furniture from him. One day my husband came home and we were in the furniture business. The man made us an offer on the furniture that we couldn't refuse. He wanted to get out of the business and helped us get our start. Q: How many employees do you have? A: Other employees of Spring Hill Furniture are Jennifer Martin, sales associate and our son, Kevin Wakefield, who is a builder and designer. Q: What do you offer your customers that is unique? A: A six-month exchange program. Customers sometimes get a rug home and find that it doesn't go with their furniture they have. We also change the furniture. Last year oak was popular, this year it's cherry. But the leather has been popular, too. We also try to buy as much Tennessee made products as we can. And if we don't have what people want we have books that they can browse through and we can order directly for them. Q: What about competition? A: We hope we can help our customers by being small and family. I don't think Lowe's or Home Depot has the same kind of furniture we have and I thought they were getting out of the furniture business. When you advertise people will drive to find what they want. We hope we have that.

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