BJ's: Hall of Fame Success
By Jane Kitchen -- Gifts and Dec, 6/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
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In 1979, when Bill Fortson saw the historic 1880s house in Newburgh, IN, slated to be demolished, it hit him: this was the place for the store he had been planning to open. It didn't matter that it was a bit out of the way, this would be a destination store.
Fortson teamed up with John Clements to create BJ's Home Accents, and today, after having been named to the Accessory Resource Team Hall of Fame, Fortson ranks the store's unique location as one thing that's made BJ's such a success.
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BJ's is set up in different vignettes appropriate to each room of the house. In all there are nine different showrooms that are changed out frequently, and two design areas. Fortson and Clements have added on to the original house four times to keep up with growth in their business. Today, the store features 8,400 square feet of display space, along with offices on the second floor.
Fortson and Clements utilize the grounds surrounding the building for events and celebrations, the most popular of which is the Christmas open house. Their celebrations are just that; while customers may browse the store, no cash registers are open. This year, Fortson and Clements are thinking big to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
Changing with the Times
A lot has changed in 30 years, and that flexibility is another thing Fortson and Clements credit to their longevity. While home accents have always been a part of the mix, BJ's first earned its reputation for good design through floral work. "People always told us ... they could tell [an arrangement] came from here because it had a different look," said Fortson.
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But by 1994, the team dropped fresh flowers to concentrate on gifts and decorative accessories; in 1999, they added furniture into the mix. Today, the store is about 68 percent gifts and decorative accessories and 32 percent furniture.
"We're diverse in a lot of things," said Clements. "We have individualized gifts, home accents, home planning — it's really a total package."
The home planning Clements refers to means that designers from BJ's will consult on all aspects of interior design for their customers.
"Customers bring us blueprints of their new home, and we scale the furniture into the rooms so they can see how it will look," said Fortson. "It really is one-stop shopping.
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