Dream House Furnished by Texas Retailer and Rep

Furniture World Magazine

Home Furnishings International Association rep member Ron Eriksen pulled out all the stops to get four western style rocking chairs built and delivered from Laredo to Tyler, Texas, within a three-week window to meet HGTV's deadline for their 2005 Dream House Giveaway. During September International Gift & Home Accessories show at the Dallas Market Center, Eriksen's X-L Imports' rocking chair caught the eye of Betty Swann, accessories buyer for Swann's Furniture Gallery in Tyler. Swann's is the featured furnishings retailer for the 2005 Dream House. Ms. Swann agreed to purchase four of the chairs with the requirement they be delivered by October 8. The X-L factory in Laredo made the chairs and shipped them to meet the deadline. Eriksen shows his X-L line in the Roadrunners Showroom at the Dallas Market Center, which he shares with other rep members of HFIA, sponsoring organization for the showroom. Ron makes sure he is in the showroom with the lights on and the doors open every market time. Stressing the importance of just “showing up,” he says, “You never know when something great is going to happen.” Just showing up certainly paid off for him. His mesquite rockers, each with unique grain patterns, oversized seats and star motifs, will invite relaxing on the porch of the Dream House being built on Lake Tyler. Not only did Eriksen make the sale to HFTV, he picked up a new account, Swann's Furniture Gallery, for his product. Ms Swann, part owner of Swann's with her husband, E.F. Swann, and also an HFIA member, says this the first time the show has used a retailer for furnishings for the Dream house. The HGTV Dream House 2005 Show is expected to air sometime in January. “Ron's good fortune with Swann's in Tyler and the HGTV Dream House just points out the value of combining efforts for a greater return,” said Mary Frye, President of HFIA. “The rep showroom in Dallas is one way home furnishings merchandise can be seen in a show better known for its accessories and gifts than furniture. These reps are happy to remind buyers there is still furniture to be seen and bought in Dallas.” Founded in 1923, HFIA is a membership-based, national organization that is the choice and voice of independent-thinking home furnishings professionals, offering business tools for operating more profitably. The Association offices in the World Trade Center in Dallas, TX.