One of the areas that we have worked hard on the past two years is the LaZBoy gallery.  About one year ago, April of 2009 to be exact, we announced the opening of our new LaZBoy Comfort Studio.  Our goal was to bring the best selection of LaZBoy reclining furniture to Eastern Iowa.  We started with just about one-third of the room on second floor.  It soon became apparent that you folks liked the idea and we doubled our floor space.  Well, it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t going to be enough so we expanded the gallery again.  And now we are looking to fully take over the whole room.  It is clear that Eastern Iowa likes LaZBoy products, and they like having it at Smulekoff’s.

Well, folks, all that hard work has not gone unnoticed.  Clearly not by our customers, but also not by LaZBoy.  Last week at the High Point furniture market, LaZBoy recognized Smulekoff’s as the fastest growing Comfort Studio – not just in Iowa but in their whole Central Region.  I’m told that covers about a third of the country.  Rumor has it we were the fastest growing Comfort Studio in the nation but that award is not given out.

We owe that distinction to our customers.  Yes, we put in some work.  Bob worked with LaZBoy to bring in the selections.  Dennis worked with his crew to put everything out and fill that room.  And my sales crew studied to learn about LaZBoy and how to best help you find just the right pieces for you.  But all of that hard work wouldn’t have done a thing if our customers didn’t want the product and didn’t trust Smulekoff’s to get it right.

Thank you for making Smulekoff’s the place to go for LaZBoy furniture.

Enjoy spring in Iowa, it is a beautiful time of year.

This is not your father’s recliner.  No handles, no “Bubba design”, no noisy popping and clanking of the mechanism.  Just a sleek, modern look and tremendous comfort and quality.  All top-grain Italian leathers (or fabric if you must), molded foam cores and steel construction.  This is the good stuff.

Please come into the store to check them out.  You really have to sit in these to appreciate the value.  Just wander up to second floor and have a seat.  You won’t be disappointed.

How about this spring weather?  I told you winter was done.  Now it is time to get out and .  .  .

Enjoy.

The Third Avenue windows are done, Bob and Dennis have populated the area, and Deb has worked her magic in completing the presentation.  Doesn’t this look better now?

It always feels so good when we are able to reclaim some more of the store.  This a continuing battle but we are making progress.

Well, it looks like spring has arrived.  Can I say that?  Let’s hope I haven’t jinxed us now.  It has been beautiful weather for March.  It was great to see so many people downtown for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  There were people everywhere.  That is what downtown Cedar Rapids used to be like – let’s make that happen again.

Enjoy.

People ask all the time how the recovery is going and I always answer that it is going well but it is still a work in progress.  It’s hard for some people to believe that a year and a half later, we are still rebuilding.  Well, I’m here to tell you that is the case for many of us downtown.

Theater Cedar Rapids just finished rebuilding the Iowa Theater and they are back in business downtown.  I’m looking forward to seeing their new show, “The Producers”, later this week.  This summer you will see some other buildings going away.  I’m told that some the buildings have been abandoned and they will be razed when the weather permits.

Well, we have been back in business for quite some time but the rebuilding is still going on.  The picture at the top shows the north display windows.  This was the part of the building that faced into the flood.  All of the glass was shattered and the structure was destroyed.  We had made them look presentable, at least if you didn’t look too closely.  But now it is time to rebuild this space.  We are putting in a new floor and back wall, as well as lighting the space.  I think these guys are doing a wonderful job.  It won’t be long before we will look good from Third Avenue again.

Spring is just around the corner.  This week has melted most of the snow and if we can hold off any major rain storms we won’t have too much trouble from any flooding this spring.  Let’s hope Mother Nature is kind to us this year.

ENJOY

Check out this chair.  Isn’t this fun?  This picture was in my in-box this week from one of our old friends.  A couple of emails and a phone call later and I was able to find out the history.

This is a picture of Mark Bohn.  In 1989, Mark was a new rep for Simmons Mattress and was visiting our store during his training.  I caught up with Mark by phone while he was on the road.  Don’t you just love the power of cell phones?  Mark told me he was so intrigued by the chair that he just had to climb up on it to have this picture taken.  Mark is now serving the Pacific northwest for Serta.  He has kept this picture all these years and even recently featured it on his Facebook page.

The chair was from Best Chair Company and was making the rounds of the various dealers as a promotion.  I never got to see this chair but when I visited the factory in Ferdinand, IN a few years ago I got to sit on the latest edition.  It is on prominent display in the entrance to their home offices.

One of the fun parts of working for Smulekoff’s is to hear the stories and to talk with people who remember us from earlier years.  When you have been around for 120 years, there are a lot of stories.

Well, the groundhog may be predicting 6 more weeks of winter but I’m saying that spring is near.  It has to be – I’m tired of this snow.

Enjoy.

This is not a page out of a designer magazine. This is a home in Eastern Iowa. What do you think?

This the work of Amelia Warner, a designer from right here at Smulekoff’s. All of the furniture and flooring is from our normal line-up. The sofa and chairs are from the Bassett Simply Yours collection. The benches are from Fairfield and the tables from Hammary.

I have been negligent in not talking more about our Design Studio. This is the kind of work that Amanda, Carolyn, Adriel and Amelia do every day for our clients. They will help you put together a beautiful room. This service is available to all of our customers and costs no more than if you were to come in and pick  everything out yourself. So if you have a project and you would really appreciate some professional assistance, talk with one of these ladies.

Well, we are off on a new decade. The weather in Iowa is crazy. One day it is below zero and the next we have a thaw. Yep, it’s winter in Iowa.

Enjoy.

Here is the new Eastlake bedroom group.  What do you think?  I like it.  It’s different.  I like how it is made as well. English dovetail joints in the drawer, dust shields between the drawers and wood on wood glides.  These are the features I look for in better bedroom furniture.

Check out this new sofa.  This design is actually an old favorite, the Zachary.  But this one is done in a corded chenille fabric that is really rich.  I am impressed.  Of course, if you like the style but want a different fabric, Broyhill would be happy to make it for you.  This is an excellent example of how that can work for you.  This silhouette has been one of our best selling sofas, but almost always done in a micro-fiber fabric treatment.  Doing this same style in a corded chenille gives it an entirely different look and feel.

Finally we have the Perspectives sofa in a more modern design.  This has a very well proportioned wedge arm.  Combine that with the exposed wood rail at the base and you have a sofa with a very clean, “put together” feel.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas.  Let’s hope this weather doesn’t spoil the holidays.

Enjoy.

Nearly 100 families came to the store to see Santa and to say hello to the reindeer outside.  Santa brought along Mrs. Claus, two of his reindeer and several of his faithful elves.  As you might imagine, it was a busy place on first floor as the children climbed up on Santa’s knee to whisper in his ear that special something that they wanted him to bring on Christmas Eve.

We also had the pleasure of listening to the chorus from Washington High School as they shared some carols.  The Grinch was on the TVs and in another corner some of the children were listening to stories.  It was clear the holiday season has arrived.

And now the snow has arrived as well.  It is officially Christmas time.

Enjoy.

First of all – when do you need a new mattress? Well, the real question you need to ask yourself is, how are you sleeping? Do you wake up refreshed and ready for the day? Or do you wake up feeling like someone beat you up during the night? Okay, no spouse jokes now.

If you aren’t getting a good night’s sleep – you must consider that your mattress just isn’t doing it’s job anymore. It may be old and worn out or it might just be that what was right for you when you bought it isn’t right for you now. Remember that it isn’t just the bed that got older – so did your body. I know that I am not physically the same person I was even five years ago. If Clinton was the president when you bought your last mattress – it’s time for a new one.

Here are some good tips to make shopping for a new mattress easy.

(blatantly stolen from King Koil).

1) Once you have realized you need a new mattress, do your research. Mattresses have probably changed drastically since you last shopped, so bring yourself up to speed. Good sources of information include the Internet, manufacturer Web sites, trusted friends and family, and the newspaper.

2) Look for sales. Mattress retailers typically advertise in the newspaper or direct mail.

3) Once you have decided on a store or stores to visit, have an idea of what you would like to spend beforehand. This will help you and the sales associate find the best mattress for your money.

4) When you visit, wear comfortable clothing.

5) Make yourself at home on the mattresses. Try every sleep position you go through in a typical night. Take your time and ask the sales associate to give you a minute if need be.

6) Try mattresses with different tops and different materials, as the feels and support levels differ.

7) Feel free to ask any question of the sales associate.

Try and narrow your selection down to two or three beds. More choices than that will be confusing.

9) Once you decide on a mattress, your retailer will arrange delivery and removal for you.

I hope, when you get to number 3, that you will put Smulekoff’s on your list of stores to visit. We have over 40 mattresses on display and a staff that can help you find the right one. If you are not sleeping well, it is time to do something about it. Don’t put it off any longer – you are paying too great a price.

The Hawks finally lost – bummer. But it has been a great autumn anyway.

Enjoy the coming holidays.

That meant that all of us had to install our own boilers to heat the buildings.  Well folks, that isn’t an easy thing to do.  We had to cut a hole in the floor of the back dock and the heating engineers had to lower the boiler into the basement.  Those things are way too heavy to use even our sturdy service elevator.  Now they are working in the basement, assembling the system.  I was told we are not alone – that 36 buildings are going through the same process this fall.  Hopefully we will have everything online before the snow flies.

The next time one of your friends asks how the recovery is going – just tell them that it is a work in progress but progress is being made.

It’s Haloween tonight and the Hawkeyes won today.  Life is good.

Enjoy.