Kid Furniture
January 29th, 2006 Category Furniture, Furniture Store, ReviewsAim for quality, value to furnish kids’ rooms
When Phyl Rubin was a young mother, she didn’t have money to spare on upscale children’s furniture.
Still, she wanted something special for her youngest child and only girl. So, she bought an inexpensive canopy bed covered in pink-and-white gingham, painted elephants on the walls and glued gingham material on the lamp shades.
These days, Phyl, 65, has 10 grandchildren’s rooms to fuss over — and much better access to children’s furniture. Phyl and her husband, Bernie Rubin, own Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture, one of the largest furniture retailers in Massachusetts.
They have become local celebrities because of their kitschy television commercials featuring the catchy jingle: ”Quality, comfort, and price, that’s nice.”
The husband-and-wife team founded the company in 1983 and built it into a seven-store chain that employs 500 people. Now, their three children and son-in-law help run the business. They offer some straightforward advice for young families just starting out to buy furniture.
”Buy quality and value,” advises Bernie, 68. ”But don’t give away the farm, so to speak, to furnish a child’s bedroom.”
Michael Guidicianne, the company’s visual merchandise manager, says children’s furniture is more stylish and reasonably priced these days, partly because much of it is imported from Asia. Its styling closely follows what’s fashionable in adult furniture — contemporary lines that can carry a child through the teens and beyond.
Guidicianne says that parents are buying full-size beds for their young children, not twin beds. The extra space helps on sleepovers and allows the bed to eventually be used for a guest room.
Storage items are also a big seller. From bookcases to cubes, parents need an arsenal of places to stash their children’s growing collections of stuff.
Usually, parents start looking for non-nursery furniture for their children between the ages of 5 and 7, says Phyl Rubin. Furnishing a child’s bedroom with furniture can cost between $1,000 and $2,000. That would include a bed, desk and chest of drawers.
The Rubins advise young parents to buy the bed first, because it’s the most crucial, and add other pieces as necessary.
When buying furniture, look for all-wood furniture, not particle board — because it lasts longer. Slide drawers in and out to see if they glide smoothly — an indication of quality.
The Rubins recently furnished a room in their Florida home for the grandchildren. The couple has a condo in Sharon, but they spend most of the year in Delray Beach, Fla.
Using furniture shipped down from their store, they outfitted the room with two sets of bunk beds (twin-size beds on the top, full-size beds on the bottom) that can sleep six children.
The Rubins started life out modestly: He grew up in Mattapan, she in Roxbury. Until they decided to take a risk and plunge all their savings into a new business, Bernie delivered furniture with his father.
Now, as their company has grown, so has the quality of their merchandise.
While they used to cater to budget shoppers, now they’ve moved into a more fashionable and high-quality range.
But even though their customers might have more money to spend, Bernie still advises them to spend it wisely.
”I don’t think parents should buy a full, complete room to start off,” he says. ”Buy what you need and build on it.”
Website: http://www.bernphyl.com/
Source: boston.com