by MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Furniture First has added two industry veterans to their staff: Heidi Dounouk in the role of services coordinator and Ailene Beeson as lead merchandising director. The services coordinator position has been vacant for some time and the lead merchandising director is a new position.
Dounouk brings years of experience at furniture retailers, including Wolf Furniture and NB Leibman, in various roles, including merchandising and communications. Her responsibilities at Furniture First will include working with consumer financing, point of sale systems, credit card processing, and protection programs.
Dounouk will be based at the Furniture First headquarters in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Ailene (Ally) Beeson will join the staff later this month in a new position and will be based in Furniture First’s High Point showroom that will open for the upcoming October High Point Market. In her new role, Beeson will draw on her in-depth experience as a gallery manager and buyer at Furnitureland South that will include management of merchandise programs and the development of proprietary merchandise for the members of Furniture First.
Both report to Andrew Kauffman, chief executive officer of Furniture First.
“Ally and Heidi’s experience in successful furniture stores will serve our members well,” Kauffman said. “They know what the day-to-day operations are like in a busy furniture retailer. They also understand what’s important to retailers and what will make a difference to their operations and success.”
Furniture First, a national cooperative buying group for independent retailers, is opening a four-story building at 336 South Main Street in High Point next month.
“Furniture First on Main” will house tenants as well as Furniture First, with TD Retail Card Services and Knorr Marketing on the third floor, and Vaughan Bassett set to occupy the fourth floor in time for the April 2024 Market. While the Furniture First showroom is closed to non-members, all retailers are invited to visit the Industry Service Center on the first floor where fifteen marketing and service partners will have tables to meet with potential clients.
Furniture First serves full line independent retailers with sales over $2 million. Collectively, the group sells $3 billion at retail. A portion of the third floor of their new High Point building is still available for lease, including the main street facing balcony. Interested parties should contact Marc DeLille at Price Commercial Properties by calling 336-812-3175.
For more information on Furniture First Membership, please visit www.JoinFurnitureFirst.com or call 800-411-3477.
