Official Blog of Gallery Furniture's Mattress Mack of Houston, TX

Gallery Furniture - We Deliver Customer Service, too!

Sometimes, it is the little things that please a customer!  Read below...

Gallery Furniture's Service Department professionals received a kind word from David B. of Houston, a man who needed a very specific item for a recliner he had bought in 2002.  He contacted Mike Kelly of the Service Department after a long search for a recliner part...

Below is his tale as he told us via e-mail:

"About three weeks ago I was sitting in my recliner when a sharp popping sound came from the recliner. I could tell that something had happened but didn’t turn the recliner over at that time to try and see what it was.

A day or two later I found a small piece of metal on the floor that I figured was from the chair. I turned the chair over and saw a spring dangling from the frame. The eye in the end of the spring had broken accounting for the piece I found. I removed the spring and decided to see if I could find a suitable replacement in my immediate vicinity.

After several trips to local hardware stores it became clear that none of the standard expansion springs would work; I even tried a web search and came up with nothing.

I knew then that my only chance for finding a replacement spring would be Gallery Furniture. I had my paperwork from the time the chair was purchased in December of 2002, called the number and asked for help in finding a replacement spring. The operator connected me with Customer Service and Mike Kelly answered the phone. From the very first word Mike seemed interested in helping me with the spring replacement, it was very reassuring. When I described the spring he seemed confident that Customer Service would have the needed part, and suggested I come over and it could be checked out. I asked him if I could e-mail him a picture and confirm the replacement part was available before I drove the considerable distance to Gallery Furniture and Mike gave me his email information.

The following morning I called Mike back and within a short time he confirmed that the part was in stock. I told Mike I would come over right away. When I got there Mike was very busy answering the phone and dealing with people; he asked me if I could wait a few minutes which I was happy to do. After a short time he referred me to James who took me back to the service department and gave me the needed replacement spring.

I was overjoyed to get the spring; after all of my looking at hardware stores and on the internet I had begun to wonder if I could ever find the right one.

The spring is now installed and the chair is working perfectly; I’m truly grateful that my spring search had such a positive ending and I actually enjoyed meeting Mike, he’s a special person and an asset to Gallery Furniture.

Sincerely,

David B."

Wow!  That's a great tale from David B. of Houston, who had provided Gallery Furniture with a lot of information for the team to work from - according to Mike Kelly of Service: "David sent over a detailed PDF of the broken spring, showing dimensions, wire width, length at rest of the spring, everything - I knew, though, just when I saw the picture that we did have one."

Gallery Furniture is here for Houstonians both before and after the sale.  It's not hard to practice great service, most furniture stores in Houston won't bother once they sell you something.  That's what sets Gallery Furniture apart from the other guys in town - that desire to go the extra mile.  Gallery Furniture - delivering great furniture and great service... TODAY.

Hästens on Discovery Show Modern Marvels makes one customer a believer...

Above, the Hästens Superia

A customer relays their tale from watching a Modern Marvels show.

"I was wacthing the Discovery Channel show "Modern Marvels" and it featured a great segment on green products and featured a Hästens mattress.  The Modern Marvels show talked at great lengths of the benefits of sleeping on a green mattress versus the old-school polyurethane / inner-spring mattress.  The Hästens segment on Modern Marvels really intrigued me, so I Googled the phrase "natural beds" and Hästens popped up first.

I admit that I am a research fanatic - so I spent about 3-4 hours studying Hästens (as well as other all-natural beds) online and I quickly found that hands-down the Hästens was the best in class for craftsmanship, quality, and the most all-natural bed made in the world.

Amazingly, I then learned that Gallery Furniture has the largest in-stock line of Hästens beds in the United States, so I bought a Hästens at Gallery Furniture and four hours later I was sleeping better and feeling better than I had in a long, long time."

If you want to learn more about the Hästens all-natural mattress - we encourage you to Google Hästens on the web and learn more about the finest all-natural bed on earth.  Gallery Furniture, your Houston leader in sleep systems of all kinds, can have your Hästens bed in your home TODAY - so stop in and test rest a Hästens today and begin sleeping green and great tonight!

Hästens Beds Featured in May 2008 Issue of GQ

The news keeps rolling in on Hästens beds - the Hästens, with the largest in-stock and immediate delivery set available at Gallery Furniture, is featured in the GQ May 2008 issue.  With a rave review and title of "The Bed of Kings," the Hästens is discussed in terms of its luxury.

Gallery Furniture invites you to drop by and experience what the editing staff at GQ Magazine experienced in the Hästens bed - and enjoy the comfort of a Hästens bed.  Gallery Furniture has the largest in-stock selection of Hästens beds in the United States, meaning we can have your bed delivered to your Houston area home the same day you buy it.  No other Hästens store in the United States can have your Hästens that quickly.

Another Gallery Furniture Customer Discovers the Joy of Shopping from the Convenience of Home

Gallery Furniture's Cutsomer Service Department made a late-night sale...

Kathy P. of Houston bought this set off of GalleryFurniture.com and over the phone...

Kathy P. of Houston, TX called Gallery Furniture at 9:55 last night... and Laura from the Customer Service Department picked up the phone.

Kathy P. said that "I asked Laura what time Gallery Furniture closed, and she said '10:00 p.m.' so I replied that I can call back in the morning... Laura then tells me 'Ma'am, I can help you, what do you need?"

Turns out it was a great night for Kathy P. - she had used our easy to find Gallery Furniture Saves You Money Card application, and some great Home Office Furniture at GalleryFurniture.com and (without ever seeing the furniture) came in and bought it all over the phone.  As Kathy P. said:

"It was the most amazing experience - within 25 minutes I had credit approval, order completed, and set up for delivery on Saturday morning [April 19th] - they just left not that long ago, and we are completely satisfied, and the delivery guys were so nice and professional, it was wonderful!  I never had to leave my home, and I got all my furniture shopping done using GalleryFurniture.com and a phone call thanks to Laura!"

Laura, seen here on the phone, works tirelessly day in and day out from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. taking care of Galery Furniture customers just like Kathy P.!

Folks, we take care of all our customers at Gallery Furniture, and we encourage you to heavily use GalleryFurniture.com for your selection needs!

The Michigan Delivery is Complete - and Another Satisfied Gallery Furniture Customer Tells her Tale!

All the Way to Alpena, MI...

Gallery Furniture's Marketing and Internet Boys went and dug a little deeper on the story of the Michigan Furniture Delivery that the Gallery Furniture Delivery Team of Juan and Omar made happen.  Here is what they learned from one satisfied Gallery Furniture Customer:

Kimberly B. of Houston, TX was moving to Alpena, Michigan with her husband, a retired Houston Police Department officer.  Sadly, they had lost everything in a house fire and decided to take up a new home and a new life near Lake Huron.  Before she left Houston, she had decided that her new home that sits on a gorgeous 40 acre lot needed some furniture - and a Tempur-Pedic bed to boot! 

She got with Brandon Jackson, one of the Gallery Furniture Sleep Sales Professionals, and after much discussion, arranged to have a shipping company get her the material she needed.  So Kimberly waited patiently for her furniture in Alpena, Michigan.

Well, as things sometimes go, when you have to have something done right, you have do it yourself... after waiting for the shipping company and some dropped communication and no Tempur-Pedic, she called Gallery Furniture and spoke with Mattress Mack:

"Mack told me that we were gonna make it right, and if that means having to drive to Michigan to deliver it ourselves, we would.  And y'all did - it was a proud moment having a Gallery Furniture truck pull up out here at my home in Alpena, Michigan!"

Here's the map of the road Juan and Omar took to Alpena,MI.

Kimberly B. knew from the moment she got off the phone with Mack that "I was confident everything was going to be taken care of, and Juan and Omar were here in a little over 24 hours."  Twenty-six hours and twenty-two minutes, actually, was how long Juan and Omar took to get Kimberly not just her Tempur-Pedic, but also her new living room furniture from Gallery Furniture.

What's the funniest part of the whole story?  Turns out that Kimberly and family are moving back to Houston in the summer - and she says "now we'll have to buy a bigger home to fit all of our furniture from Gallery Furniture inside!"  With regards to how Kimberly felt about the move back to Houston she stated: "Well, I am more a big city girl and my husband is more of a country boy - and our kids really love being in able to swim in one of the Great Lakes, so it will be a matter of readjusting, that's for sure!" 

We are excited to be a part of your life, Kimberly, and Juan and Omar had a great time getting ready and making the delivery all the way to Alpena, Michigan.  They got in late last night and Gallery Furniture is ready to add their pics to the blog!

Folks, whether your home is in Kuwait, Hawaii, Northern Ireland, or Alpena, Michigan - Gallery Furniture ships to clients world wide.  And we'll get it there quickly - and safely - and install it with love and care into your beautiful home.  Kimberly, we're looking forward to you and your husband's safe return back to Texas!

Lining Up to be on the CBS Show Big Brother

The Gallery Furniture / CBS Big Brother Casting Line started promptly at 4:00 p.m., with 50 people starting off and easily topping 400 at the time of this post.

The Big Brother casting call at Gallery Furniture officially started thirty-five minutes ago, but the scene was already getting full earlier in the afternoon as a crowd gathered at Gallery Furniture of Houston, TX in anticipation of being stars on the hit reality show Big Brother, airing on CBS (local Houston Channel 11 - KHOU-TV).

Potential reality stars lined the parking lot of Gallery Furniture early, with a line of over 350 by the time this blog post went up.  The shot below shows the early gatherers.  The reality show, Big Brother, airs in over 60 countries, each country having their own unique spin on the show, though the premise is generally the same:  A series lasting around three months includes a number of individuals forced to live together full-time in the "Big Brother" House, isolated from the outside world.

Under the continuous gaze of television cameras, the roommates try to win a cash prize by avoiding eviction from their housemates from the house.  A large cash prize awaits the winner of the show (as is usually the case in most foreign-based Big Brother shows, as well). 

Gallery Furniture was happy to play host to the casting call for the next Big Brother, and we wish all the contestants the best of luck!

Clockwise from top: KHOU-TV Channel 11 Van is out for a Live Remote for the Big Brother casting call at Gallery Furniture... potential housemates / potential rivals chatting it up before going in as part of the early crowd... The Gallery Furniture Teddy Bear points the way to the Big Brother Casting Call.

Gallery Furniture Delivers Close to Canada, Eh?

Gallery Furniture Sales Professional Brandon Jackson took a phone call that ended up having the Gallery Furniture Delivery Team of Juan and Omar head to Alpena, Michigan - which is pretty close to Canada, yah!  Gallery Furniture is proud to ship to customers all over the United States and the world - from Kuwait to Hawaii, from Galveston, TX to the tip of Michigan.

Juan, left, and Omar, right, ready to load up for Alpena, Michigan with a Gallery Furniture delivery.

Kimberly B. had spoken with Brandon Jackson.  Turns out that she was so enamored with Gallery Furniture from her previous purchases that when it came time to place some furniture for her new home in Alpena, Michigan she decided to go with us and have it delivered.  So the Gallery Furniture Delivery Team is heading straight up in a north-south cannonball run that will take our Gallery Furniture Delivery Team all the way up to within a stone's throw of Canada.

While we won't have time to enjoy some Canadian Football or hockey, Gallery Furniture will make time to insure not only proper delivery, but to deliver it with the same care and love as we do all of our local clients as well.  Juan and Omar took care during the loading process...

From the top... Juan and Omar carefully ready to transport a Gallery Furniture tempur-pedic to Alpena, Michigan...   Here comes the Gallery Furniture contemporary couch by Nicoletti...  before placing the couch and the rest of the furniture, Juan fully secures the mattress and box springs... Juan and Omar cover the couch before the rest of the furniture is hauled in... the finale, after a long load and more Gallery Furniture living room selection, Juan closes the door and locks it shut.

Juan and Omar, part of a select team of Gallery Furniture Delivery Team professionals, embarked on their 24 hour, 22 minute trip to Alpena, Michigan from Gallery Furniture by way of 59 North (the East Tex Freeway here in Houston).  Gallery Furniture is proud to deliver your furniture anywhere you need it - to your Houston home or your vacation home anywhere in the world?  Moving out of town?  Let us furnish your new home so you don't have to worry about who to buy furniture from in a new environment.

Buy it today, and have it delivered... ANYWHERE.

They Make More than Ice Cream near Brenham, Texas... Introducing Hand-Made Cedar Furniture Direct to Gallery Furniture

Texas is known for a lot of things -- cowboys, hills and lakes, Texas A&M, beaches, the University of Texas, the oil industry, and college football.  Something many folks don't know is that Texas also has fine hand-made furniture, like the beautiful cedar pieces from the workshop of Dale Dickinson and his sales representative Jerry Ordner in Brenham, Texas.

From a fine little shop known as Texas Cedar Works, these two folks have teamed up to bring their skills and talents to Gallery Furniture, and Gallery Furniture is certainly proud to feature their work.  Gallery Furniture knows that are times when there isn't enough hand-made furniture in the store, yet it's always in demand. 

Clockwise from top left: It all starts with Texas Cedar... A table being made for Gallery Furniture, hand made in the Texas Size... owner and craftsman Dale from Texas Cedar Works stops to pose... Another finished Texas Cedar Works Table for Gallery Furniture.  Click on any image above for full size.

Dale uses the natural grain and the texture of the cedar istelf to enhance their furniture.  No piece is identical to another.  Here's an example:  What do you see in this table's top?

Above: A pair of cat's eyes?  A butterfly? The split log mirror technique lets mother nature design the pattern - and lets your imagination roam as free as the Texas plains.

Whether you see a face, a butterfly, or something else, the patterns in the wood make each table unique.

The cedar comes from the Texas Hill Country.  After it is cured, the wood is cut into planks and posts.  Sometimes when a log is split, the grain and knots in the wood are cut in half, giving two pieces that are mirror images of each other.  When you put those mirror images together, you get a pattern like the one of the picture above.

Left: A Coffee Table the Size of Texas... Right: Texas-sized Sofa Table!

There are no screws or nails in the furniture Dale and Jerry make (and sell) at Texas Cedar Works.  The only ingredients are wood, oil, glue, and Texas-style craftsmanship.  For example, Dale hand sands the tops with 600-grit sand paper - you read that right folks, Dale Dickinson painstakingly hand-sands these gorgeous pieces.  Only a Texan would do that.

Gallery Furniture reminds customers that any cedar furniture should not be exposed to direct sunlight for any length of time, or you will discolor the finish and wood over time.    

Below - watch the videos with furniture representative Jerry Ordner of Texas Cedar Works...

Gallery Furniture Market Report: Welcome Signature Home Furnishings

Part Three

Recently Gallery Furniture sent over the Gallery Furniture High Point Furniture Market Team over to High Point, North Carolina, to find new sources of furniture and pass the savings along to our Gallery Furniture customers.  Here's a report from the field from Ted and Gil over in North Carolina:

"Mack, greetings from beautiful North Carolina.  We just signed a deal with Signatgure Home Furnishings of Cerrito, California and they will be sending the paperwork over tonight for some of their beautiful line of traditional style home furniture - Gallery Furniture customers will not only love the prices, but they will love the style of this gorgeous furniture ready for their Houston bedroom, living room, theater room, and home office." -Ted and Gil

Signature Home Furniture comes to Gallery Furniture

That was quick, looks like my Gallery Furniture High Point Furniture Market Team already struck a deal and got things finished quickly.  We truly believe in TODAY here at Gallery Furniture, and it shows in everything we do - whether it is getting you to bed on your lovely Tempur-Pedic the same night or getting that new youth bedroom collection in your home the day you bought it, Gallery Furniture works hard to save you money. 

Keep up the good work, Ted!

Live From High Point, NC - The Gallery Furniture Market Report... Meet Icovia

Part Two

Recently, I sent out the Gallery Furniture High Point Furniture Market Team to High Point, NC for a variety of reasons - most of all to find out how Gallery Furniture can not only save you money, but also for how to come up with new and innovative uses of our great website, www.GalleryFurniture.com - so that all visitors can truly make their Houston house a home.

Here's an entry from one of the Marketing and Internet Division boys, Gil, live from the 12th Floor of the International Home Furnishings Center in beautiful High Point, North Carolina...

"Thanks Mack, wow - I wanted to stress a new feature coming soon to GalleryFurniture.com on the horizon - a space planner by the hyper intelligent and super creative team at Icovia (now called Icovia 20/20).  Turns out as I was attending a seminar on 3-Dimensional Visualization technology for furniture web sites, I ran into our awesome development team at Icovia Software that Hamilton and I have been coordinating with.

Icovia is working hard to make sure that they do things the Gallery Furniture way - and they have gone the extra mile in their new software and added a special bonus for us so that Houstonians can not only plan their furniture space online, they can also drop a rug from Fred the Rug Man onto the floor plan.  It also turns out we will be one of the first to roll out the newest version of the Icovia Room Planner software - folks visiting www.GalleryFurniture.com will be able to easily make their room happen and add tile and floor color to the room plan as well as pull item information sheets. 

They did a projector show for me of the new software they have demo-ing for us - and Mack, I gotta tell you, I am highly impressed.  It's better than anything else on the market currently, and we'll have a site that will allow all visitors to truly enhance their home and plan ahead before they buy with measurements, home furniture orientation, and so on.  I am truly excited for the opportunities afforded our web site visitors once we launch the new Icovia Space Planner with the extra Gallery Furniture add-ons that Icovia is designing for the Gallery Furniture faithful."

Wow, now that is good news.  I am glad folks from the Gallery Furniture High Point Furniture Market Team will all see this lovely piece of software and note the benefits of this software for our customers.  Gallery Furniture has been in business for over 27 years here in Houston, and our history of saving you money, same day delivery of Tempur-Pedic and Hastens mattresses, and our commitment to excellence is second to none.  To this, Gallery Furniture adds the value of being a technological leader - it's how Gallery Furniture has been doing what it has been for the first 27 years, and what we will continue to do for the next 27 years.