This discussion led me to view Richard Zafft's Fly-By-Night futon store in a different light than I had originally. Zafft does not think of himself as a business man -- at least not in the traditional sense of the word. Some would call his approach naive, but there is little doubt that he is successful, according to his concept of success. A telling sign of his personal philosophy is how our interview began. Within a few minutes of my arriving at his futon store, a railroad car layout occupying about 1000 sq. ft., Zafft escorted me out of the store and we headed towards the main street of this quintessential college town. Strolling through the alleyways leading up to Main Street, he began to educate me about Northampton, speaking of where the people you might see on any given weekend come from -- and why they come. There is a certain kind of culture here that attracts a certain kind of person. And, according to Zafft, they come even from the surrounding states, on a routine basis, just to be a part of that culture.
Zafft started on the sidewalk, in the tradition of many early futon retailers, but moved into this Main Street location in Northampton several years ago.
Zafft went into business for himself in 1987, literally selling futons off the street. The police, however, didn't cotton to his street vendor status, though, so after several warnings, he renting space in the bottom level of a plumbing supply store, and from there moved "uptown" to Main Street -- again occupying rather confined space, below street level, before moving to his present location in 1994.
The name Fly By Night came about from a conversation Zafft was having with a friend about the future of his business. His friend argued that he could not continue to operate a business from a pallet on the street. No one would take such a fly-by-night setup seriously. Zafft knew the advice was sound, but he wanted to preserve the original premise of his business venture. So, Fly By Night (which is copyrighted, by the way, as is his tag line, Helping Students Sleep Through School) was born.
Richard Zafft of Fly By Night Futons in Northampton, MA.
It strikes me now that Northampton is, in a way, Zafft's futon store-at-large. And I suspect that one of the reasons he is successful here is because the culture does not support the traditional institutions of the retailing marketplace with anything close to the blind faith you might find in the heartland. This was made abundantly clear -- and it was further amplified through my conversation with John Buster -- when Zafft pointed out that a McDonald's had been forced to close recently because of poor business. The same thing had happened to a Benneton clothing store more recently. Zafft doesn't even really like to talk about price points because that's not a relevant factor in his approach to retailing. His primary concern is that the customer purchases what he or she needs. He wants only to make a fair return for his efforts and to sleep with a clear conscience.
He did not speak of these business failures with an I-told-you-so arrogance but, rather, with an affirmative sense of pride in his people's rectitude. Commenting on the unfortunate appearance of a Starbucks on Main Street, he characterized it as an affront to the personal integrity of the community. We had left ostensibly to get coffee for ourselves and for one of his staff, but I think we really went for that walk because Zafft's retailing strategy is predicated on his respect for the place and the people who inhabit it. That might not work in a lot of places, but it works here just fine. After all, there is no unknown to fear.
So, is the trick to somehow dispel the fear of the unknown? And will Zafft's admirable community-based idealism fly in less friendly skies?
At lunch, John Buster sketched several futon frame designs on his place mat. Then he drew a map of the United States and plotted where the futon furniture business really took hold in this country -- and where it continues to be concentrated: mainly the urban areas along each coast, as well as interior urban centers where there are also a high number of college students. Granted, there are successful retail enterprises which don't fit these demoimages -- the more liberal small college towns, for instance, but these are the areas where the business is truly grounded.
At that point, Buster simply asked, "How do we move into the heartland?" It is a profound question, one that presents both a literal and figurative problem for the futon retailer -- the latter being much more important. Any one of you can literally go out into the heartland and build a store. But will the customer come?
Having grown up in a small town in North Carolina, I remember well the rites of passage which bestow "acceptance" from the outside world upon the citizens of a place in the heartland. The day that it was announced that a McDonald's was going to be built just this side of the new mall was a banner day for the community. It immediately granted our town the status of inclusion in the world body. We were going to be just like every other small town (wannabe city) in the United States. It didn't matter that the food really wasn't as good as what you could get at the Carolina Cafe -- or "Miss George's," as it was called by those who had a favorite booth. McDonald's was a happening. I don't think it would have made any greater impression had someone dropped the Statue of Liberty into the middle of City Lake. We pledged our faith to McDonald's that year, and over time forsook many of the "fine food" eating establishments which had always provided a comfortable place to share good food and authentic conversation. But enough nostalgia.
My point here is that consumers often give themselves over to institutions they trust -- especially ones which don't require much more of them than their passive participation, regardless of whether the product is really superior to -- or even as good as -- what they have chosen to pass up. Maybe institution is the key word here. This willingness to be led by a force greater than they are is, I suggest, the collective consumer mind set which futon furniture retailers must counter attack somehow. Figuring out how to become an institution, in the context of a marketplace that satisfies your defintion of success, may be the path to security. That is, if you have your heart set on conquering the heartland.