Back when I was a retailer, visiting futon stores used to be kind of a hobby for me. Now that I'm a rep, I visit futon stores for a living. And the more I see, the more amazed I am. For instance, if you were merchandising a store, what would you show alongside of futons? I've seen some creative combinations, such as:

Futons & Jewelry, more common than you might think.

At Rubber Match in New Haven, CT, for instance, jewelry, biker variety is on the first floor, and the futons are upstairs. At Morgan Imports in Durham, NC, Jacqueline Morgan has filled her sizable store with jewelry, candles, T-shirts, and plenty more...including futons.

Futons & Pets.

I'm not talking about stores which sell pets, I'm talking about pets living in stores. Cats are popular. At White Lotus Futon in New Brunswick, NJ, they've got lots of cats. It looks like about twenty to me, but I don't know the exact count. Actually, they may not know the exact count either. And IÕve seen many futon stores with dogs too. Hello Chester, Chantilly, Pierre, and Pappy. You know who you are! Ernie is one of my favorites. Ernie is a parrot, a big parrot, and he lives at Sleep Etc in Norwalk, CT. If Ernie sees you eat something, you know what he does? He speaks, ÒC'mere,Ó he says. Meanwhile, his longtime companion, Crackers, waits patiently for you to offer a carrot stick.

If you admire the goldfish at Waterbed Emporium in Pittsburgh, they just might scoop one out of the tank. How nice, you find yourself thinking. They give away goldfish, that's a nice gimmick. But no, the goldfish is not for you. The goldfish is lunch for E.T., the nasty-looking puffer fish in the big tank next to the goldfish tank. Gulp, glomp, good-bye!

Futons & Bar Stools.

This is such a powerful combination that youvll actually find stores with names like Futons & Dinettes or Futons & Barstools. In Springfield, Massachusetts, The Apartment Shop doesn't sell apartments, or even rent them, but they do sell futons and bar stools.

Futons & Rolling Papers

Is it proper to write about this? I think I'll do some further checking in Connecticut and Missouri before I tell you more about these two stores.

Futons & LA-Z-BOY Departments.

Strange but true! Find your local furniture superstore, the one with the LA-Z-BOY department, and futons are always nearby. This is such a compelling combination that New West jumped onto the bandwagon and gave us the World's First Reclining Futon Lounge Chair. Now you know the whole story.

Futons & Cappuccino.

Cottland Bedding was a futon store in Memphis. Karen the owner, added jewelry, which did well alongside of the futons. Then she added a little clothing. Shortly after that, the cappuccino bar opened, and soon the futons disappeared. A lot of things go with futons, but cappuccino? Maybe that's where we have to draw the line.