With just six brands in stock, John Rainey leads the Sleep Shop by Custom Home Furniture Galleries’ million dollar business.
Custom Home Furniture Galleries, a one-stop furnishings shop in the midsize coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, offers valuable lessons in creating a loyal customer base and the oft-quoted mantra “less is more.”
Owned by brothers Kevin and John Gray, natives of the Port City, the retailer occupies 50,000 square feet at 3514 S. College Road in Wilmington. (The Grays also own Custom Home Niche Decor & Gifts and Custom Home Furniture Outlet, all housed under the umbrella of Custom Home Furnishings LLC.) Custom Home Furniture Galleries opened in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the Grays added the Sleep Shop, a store-within-a-store concept dedicated to bedding. When it was time to choose someone to helm it, one person was top of mind.
“It’ll be 12 years next month,” says John Rainey, Sleep Shop manager. “Kevin Gray called me out of the blue and said, ‘I have an offer.’ ” Rainey and Kevin Gray worked together three decades earlier at another furniture store before Gray set out on his own.
The Grays handed over the reins, trusting Rainey to select merchandise and do the buying for the store. Read on to learn how the Sleep Shop stands out from competitors and get Rainey’s best sales tips.
John Rainey’s Keys to Sleep Shop Success
Rainey, who says he works six days a week because he loves his job, generates more than a million dollars in sales annually within the Sleep Shop. What’s his secret?
“You have to keep it simple and know what to go to,” Rainey says. “You have to know the product. I think a lot of people who are new to mattress sales who stumble, it’s either because the rep did not provide enough information or the salesperson does not know what questions to ask.”
With a history of sports injuries, Rainey also has a deep understanding of how to get his customers comfortable. “When somebody comes in and says, ‘I have this and this problem,’ I know exactly how to help,” he says.
Sleep Savvy got a chance to see Rainey work his magic in real-time when some customers came in midinterview. Rainey directed them to a lineup of Paramount Sleep Co. beds, homing in on their preferred firmness while sharing some relevant anecdotes about his life. After the shoppers rest-tested a couple of mattresses, the deal was done. It was friendly, fast and efficient.
Rainey also shares some practical advice that anyone — whether new to the bedding industry or a seasoned veteran — can implement. “Never watch a customer lie down on a mattress. I don’t care if it’s someone who is 6 or 96 years old. Always be walking away when the customer lays down,” he says. (For more of Rainey’s selling tips, see the sidebar on page 21.)
The Power of a Curated Product Mix
“I try to keep it as simple as possible,” Rainey says of his chosen product mix. “When I shop my competitors and listen to their salespeople, it almost seems confusing to the average person who goes into the shop. There are too many choices.”
When Rainey joined Custom Home Furniture Galleries, he discontinued two major name brands and brought in Norfolk, Virginia-based Paramount Sleep because of the company’s long warranties and high-quality materials and Woburn, Massachusetts-based manufacturer and licensing group Spring Air International.
Today, Rainey’s super streamlined merchandising approach consists of just four, family-owned mattress manufacturers. “I like to partner with manufacturers where I’m not just an account number,” he says. “It’s old school.”
Shoppers will also find models from A.H. Beard, based in Australia, and Gold Bond, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. In queen sizes, the Sleep Shop’s beds range from $800 for a Spring Air private-label mattress, to up to $3,500 for a model from Paramount.
For accessories, the Sleep Shop offers mattress protectors from Farmingdale, New York-based Bedgear, pillows from Technogel, headquartered in Bergamo, Italy, and bases from Carthage, Missouri-based supplier Leggett & Platt.
Although the manufacturers might change their products every few years or so, Rainey isn’t looking to change up his lineup just for the sake of it. “I’m very loyal to vendors,” he says.
Building Customer Loyalty: A Key to Long-Term Success
Showing loyalty to customers is also integral to the success of Custom Home Furniture Galleries. If you’re a retailer looking for some fresh sales events that fall outside of traditional selling days like Memorial Day or Presidents Day, take some inspiration from the Grays. For starters, the store’s annual American-made sale offers up to 50% off manufacturer’s suggested retail price on select products.
Then there’s the annual Customer Appreciation Day. Its latest one, held in November, included product giveaways (art, a Paramount Conrad hybrid mattress, Basset seating and a Capris Furniture sofa), discounts throughout the store, gifts with purchase, and mini-
design consultations with purchase.
Custom Home Furniture Galleries also gave away a $3,000 gift card to one lucky winner. To be eligible, shoppers had to visit all three of Custom Home’s stores including Custom Home Furniture Galleries, its Niche Decor & Gifts store and its Furniture Outlet. Over the weekend, the store also grilled hot dogs and offered sweet treats like cakes and cookies for customers to snack on while shopping.
Marketing Strategies for the Sleep Shop
The Sleep Shop has found success on social media through Instagram and Facebook by creating engaging videos to connect with customers. Instagram (@customhomefurnituregalleries) is where the retailer announced the winner of its $3,000 gift card giveaway.
Local television ads that air in the mornings and evenings also support the shop’s success. In one, John Gray included a customer who purchased a lot of merchandise from the store. Not only was that a fun way to thank the person for their business, but it also invited a deeper connection between retailer and customer.
Since Custom Home Furnishings is celebrating 30 years in business this year, it’s safe to say their customers appreciate them right back.
