The Truth About Maturity… It Isn’t Always Pretty

I think it was about 1983, yeah 1983. I had just sold my restaurant and wanted to start a new career in graphics and advertising. I soon came to the conclusion that I didn’t have a clue about where to start so I did what I always tend to do, I started anyway.

I eventually decided that maybe I would have to take a part time job while I educated myself. I started said job at Xhaxhi (Jah-Gee- uncle on the father’s side in Albanian) and I’ve been in futon furniture ever since.

The comings and goings of major players (New Moon, New West, etc.) has always been intriguing to me, especially in a projectile growth marketplace. These days, as we begin to “mature,” these changes are less intriguing and more… let’s say… perplexing.

Here is what I am seeing. The growth in numbers of companies within the manufacturing/supply side has slowed. There are new manufacturers and suppliers but they are less aggressive than in the days of old. The new entrants are also more mature in their approach to the futon furniture market. Due to the substantial documentation of how company “A” became a “loser of the past,” these new marketers are carefully and deliberately marketing to a much narrower target audience. Add to this the exit of several well known “advertisers” (Harlee, Dormez, and Island Futon, JTNAF) and everyone will agree that if you look at just the number of players in the supply sector, the futon furniture industry footprint is substantially smaller than in the past.

Retail seems to be on a different track. Unlike our bigger brothers in the innerspring business, who publish units sold and other vital statistics, we have never been able to scientifically mark the size of the category. I can say that my personal survey of manufacturers continues to turn up 15% to 35% growth numbers when I ask. This means that the industry is expanding at retail and stabilizing on the supply side.

What happens now is classic. The furniture trade, which has an ambivalent perception of the category at best, begins to notice the retreat, or what they perceive as a retreat. “Look,” they say, “people are getting out of futons. Why would I want to get involved in a shrinking market?” What they don’t see, anywhere, are the actual industry growth statistics. Why? Because there aren’t any.

Because of the shortsightedness of youth the futon furniture industry has created no statistical basis by which to mount a claim to legitimacy. It hasn’t done enough to protect itself from the inevitable effects of the aging process by unifying and publishing said statistics.

I can tell you, for a fact, that the products being produced today by the vast majority of manufacturers are of higher quality, greater intrinsic value, longer user life, and are protected by better customer service policies than at any time in the past. Sadly, I can also tell you that very few people outside the circle know it. We will keep up the good fight!

Best Of The Industry Contest Bust

For the past three quarters we have scoured the retail globe for votes so we could determine, once and for all, who the very best companies in the futon furniture world are. It is unfortunate, and I hate to say this, but we failed.

In an attempt to help every manufacturer get the very best response possible we sent out hundreds of postage paid cards so they could stuff them in their invoices.

Stuffing did take place but not in the way we designed or anticipated. The results, being somewhat tainted, will therefore remain locked in our secret vault, only to be opened and read at the execution of my last will and testament. But reminiscent of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” I can say this, and you know who you are, YES!!! you did win.