SHFA 2011 Annual Conference Update

Southern Home Furnishings Assn. (SHFA) held its 2011 annual conference June 12-14 at the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Representatives from 17 retail stores attended, including Brown Home Furnishings, Gaffney, SC; Colfax Furniture, Greensboro, NC; Dossenbach’s Finer Furniture, Sanford, NC; Garden City Furniture, Garden City Beach, SC; Haverty’s, Charlotte, NC; Jones Wayside Furniture, Fayetteville, NC; Kimbrell’s Furniture, Charlotte, NC; Mama’s Furniture, Beaufort, SC; Midtown Furniture Superstore, Madison, NC; Nottoway House, Courtland, VA; Orangeburg Furniture Exchange, Orangeburg, SC; Owl-O-Rest, Surfside Beach, SC; Patterson Furniture Co., Lilburn, GA; Schewels, Lynchburg, VA; and Wes Bolick Bedrooms, Columbia, SC.  Several manufacturer representatives also attended.
    
Sunday evening’s welcome reception and dinner included the recognition of Mel Baer of E. Baer & Sons Furniture, Dunn, NC, as the 2010 winner of the coveted Willis Award of Merit.  Mel was presented with a plaque commemorating the honor, and will be hosting a dinner in his hometown of Raleigh, NC in July.
Monday’s workshop on “Making Sense of the Social Media Revolution” provided attendees with information on using social media to improve our ability to interact with customers and potential customers.  On Tuesday, Steve DeHaan, Executive Vice President of NHFA, presented an update on current legislative issues that impact the retail home furnishings industry.  Participants then joined together for Round Table discussions to share ideas and common issues.

Plans are being made to return to the Myrtle Beach area for the 2012 conference.