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

One Loyal Gallery Furniture Customer Spreads the Word... TODAY!

Long-Time Customer Danessa Turns Simon into a Gallery Furniture Loyal Customer!

Her name is Danessa, and she's been coming to Gallery Furniture for about seven years now - she fondly recalls her first trip to Gallery Furniture for a dining room table back then.  "I was a single mom," Danessa said, "and Mack was right there in the store when I came in looking for a dining room table.  My children and I had been wish shopping for some time, and it was time to buy.  The dining room set I wanted was still available and they were getting ready to tag it with a price."

Danessa was then shocked and pleasantly surprised when Mack walked up, grabbing a price tag when she realized she shouldn't be waiting and said "Here's the price, how does this look?" Danessa was stunned at the low price of the table - "We had looked around, and Mack really took good care of me as a single mom, and the table and chair set was going for about 700 everywhere else in town at the time, and Mack had it for 325!"

That moment was a defining moment for Danessa - she has been coming back ever since, and, as she added: "I bring everyone I know to Gallery Furniture!  This is Simon's first time!  He's a newbie here!"  Danessa laughed, and so did Simon, as Danessa recalled other purchases she made at Gallery Furniture.  "I had been looking at a Dream Deal at one point, then I ended up buying more than just that, as I picked other items out that were here - and so there is no other place to buy furniture as far as I am concerned."

Simon, now a Gallery Furniture believer, was not as convinced at first, and took Danessa to Roomstore and other competitors before the purcahse of their new gorgeous Coaster dual-toned panel bedroom set at Gallery Furniture.  "I took her around to other stores, and she was set on Gallery Furniture the whole time."  Adds Danessa: "I knew there was no where else to shop for me.  Especially since that awful fire, I had to come out and show my support for Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture."

And Simon's new opinion of Gallery Furniture? "I admit, this is the best deal in the whole city.  I mean, we went everywhere, and well, this is the best price and the best deal for this set but you wanna know what really gets me - it's the solid feel of the wood that you can feel.  The solid furniture at Gallery Furniture is just sturdy, and you can hold it and feel it.  You go to those other places, it's all, like, particle board and junk.  Here, you get the value and the quality.  It's nice."

Danessa couldn't help but chuckle and add, "I knew I'd make a believer out of him!  He's on board the train now!"

After a good laugh, Danessa then took some time to discuss her thoughts the night of the Gallery Furniture fire May 21st: "It was sad, it was more to me than just some business having a disaster, it felt like a loved one, a member of my family, was going through a horrible time.  My kids cried and cried, they came to me and asked if Mr. Mack would need help and they offered to come by and help do anything later, clean up, or something.  It was sad for us all, so I was so excited to hear about the reopening.  It's just so tragic that something so bad happened to a man who gives so much to the community."

Simon quickly added: "I had family displaced by Katrina that came to Houston, and they got all their furniture at Gallery Furniture and still order from here, even the ones that moved back."  Quickly, Danessa noted that her aunt and uncle, also displaced by the ravages of Katrina, shopped at Gallery Furniture.  

So, now that Simon has had his first Gallery Furniture experience, what does he have to say? "I will definitely be coming back!"

As for Danessa, she does have one thing she'd like to see different at Gallery Furniture: "Why don't we get a University of Houston home theater room installed?  They had a UT one and a Texas A&M one after all!"

The San Jacinto Council of Girl Scouts Visit Gallery Furniture

Mattress Mack, center (with a delicious Lemonade cookie in his mouth) accepts a donation of cookies for the Gallery Furniture Customers and Staff today!

The World's Greatest Furniture Store, Gallery Furniture, was blessed with a warm and loving visit from the San Jacinto Council of Girl Scouts when they visited Gallery Furniture and donated delicious cookies to the Gallery Furniture customers and staff.  The wonderfully delicious cookies were delivered with milk to Mattress Mack and the girls happily gave video testimonials to Mack and the Gallery Furniture team after the press conference concluded.

Mattress Mack speaks with members of the local San Jacinto Council of the Girl Scouts of America during their visit.

Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture thank the ambitious and civic-minded young women that belong to the Girl Scouts of America for all of their hard work in serving the community, being true to this great nation, and putting others ahead of self.  The San Jacinto Council's warm act of donating cookies to the Gallery Furniture customers and staff is a testament to their spirit of giving and thinking of others! 

Bringing the Future Into the Present

(Posted by HMasters)

What does it take to bring the future you see into the present? Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale believes it takes tenacity, mental toughness, hope, and most importantly faith.  That was the message of his remarks at the Grand Re-Opening celebration at Gallery Furniture's main store at 6006 North Freeway.

Forty four days before,  the store was damaged by a fire that destroyed the warehouse behind it.  The day, Mack says he knew "our future would be brighter and better, but we would have to work hard to bring that future into the present."

And then things began to happen.  A new warehouse was found by four p.m. on the Friday after the fire.  Furniture was shipped to the warehouse and soon on its way to customers.

Then he knew that ""Gallery Furniture would rise again as a symbol of free enterprise, capitalism, and the power of the entrepreneurial spirit to prevail in th face of overwhelming adversity."

"We saw that with determination and hard work, we could in fact bring that brighter future into the present."

In just forty four days the store was cleaned up, repaired, remodeled, and restocked.   And at 10 AM on the Fourth of July, the store opened for business again.

The ribbon-cutting to open the store came as the climax of a dedication ceremony featuring a color guard from the U.S. Army, rousing renditions of the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America from Gallery's own Singing Salesman, Darrell Luckett, and Mattress Mack's account of the night of the fire.  (See the full text of Mack's speech.)

 

From Tragedy to Triumph

There is a banner up at 6006 I-45 North Between Tidwell & Parker that says, simply, that Gallery Furniture will rebuild.  While the banner has been up, folks in the local community, Gallery Furniture employees, and others, have contributed to the banner with messages of love, well being, and kindness.  Any of the pictures, posted below, can be clicked on to show a larger image (will open in a separate window).

 

Gallery Furniture's Prize Steer Post Oak Relaxing in Liberty, TX

Gallery Furniture's prized champion Post Oak is doing well in Liberty, TX amidst a gorgeous 20-Acre lot and has moved in with over twenty heads of fellow bovine friends and even has a personal fly catcher!  For those who were interested in how Post Oak was doing, Post Oak made it out fine (as did all the other beautiful animals, parrots included!) and seems quite happy and content to be alive and well in beautiful Liberty, TX relaxing in the sun and enjoying the country life after a stint as an urban bovine.  

Laura, Gallery Furniture's Service Manager (who also helps with the livestock) said that Post Oak "was definitely living it up in the country" and was "definitely enjoying the outdoors and having a fly-catcher nearby and enjoying hanging out with other cows" - Post Oak then agreed to strike a pose in the field for Gallery Furniture, as shown in our photo here!

So just where is Post Oak?  Gallery Furniture's Service Manager Laura shed some light on that:  "We [Gallery Furniture] appealed to my friend Kathleen for a sanctuary for the Grand Champion.  Kathleen Burnam, and her husband J.C., have graciously allowed Post Oak to reside at their property during is time of displacement. Kathleen says "we enjoy having him and he is happy with herd."

Gallery Furniture is happy that all animals are safe, accounted for, and have new homes! (Please for click picture to left to enlarge).  Indeed, this is one Grand Champion living the grand life out in beautiful Liberty, TX.

Robert Horry Stops by Gallery Furniture Post Oak

Legendary basketball player Robert Horry - a man with seven NBA championship rings and knows the power of working hard, practicing harder, and having that desire to win - stopped by Gallery Furniture Post Oak to say hi, check out the new store, and of course, to lend his support to the Gallery Furniture family.  His presence was a fun surprise for the staff, and of course, the Gallery Furniture family took pictures with Robert Horry, who was a true gentleman as the staff asked for his pictures.  

Robert Horry is a very down to earth man, and he is always welcome at Gallery Furniture as  a member of our own family!  Thanks, Robert, for your show of support.  The Gallery Furniture family always appreciates it when star athletes with the caliber of class like Robert Horry take time to say hi to the Gallery Furniture team.

Pictured above is Gallery Furniture Sales Professional Jimmy "Srirracha" Tran strikes a celebrity pose with Robert Horry.

Below, some more photos from his visit:

Robert Horry takes time to take some pics with our Gallery Furniture Post Oak customers!

Robert Horry with (from left to right) Gallery Furniture personnel Giovanni, Carlos Pastrana, and Salesman John!

Robert Horry with Gallery Greeter Andrea (left) and Saleswoman Irene.

Robert Horry with Gallery Furniture staff phorographer David Rankin!

Drop by Gallery Furniture Post Oak at 2411 Post Oak Boulevard TODAY - you never know who you'll gte to meet!

Logan - A Boy With A Giving Heart

 Logan's story is one that the Gallery Furniture family is happy to tell to Houston, because it is a story about the power of giving.  Logan, who attends St. Thomas Moore Catholic school, is a boy who is a true personification of what it means to be selfless, kind, and to put others ahead of yourself.

Logan came into Gallery Furniture concerned about the Gallery Furniture family and how we were affected by the massive fire last Thursday.  Logan showed his concern by wanting to donate the money he had saved up for an iPod Touch to benefit the employees of Gallery Furniture.  

This gesture warmed the hearts of all the employees at Gallery Furniture, though we wanted to show Logan that his spirit of giving gave us inspiration.  We donated Logan's money to the Peace of Mind Foundation, an organization committed to helping those living with the effects of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other such mental illnesses.  Then, in a final show of support of Logan, the Gallery Furniture family bought Logan a 32GB iPod Touch.  And, just to make sure that he has plenty of tunes to rock out to, Gallery Furniture also gave Logan $100 in iTunes gift certificates for him to use on the iTunes and, obviously, the Apple AppStore.  

What made Logan's story so unique is that he is a true believer in giving unto others and the spirit of helping his fellow man, a spirit that he shows in all his actions.  When speaking with Logan's family, we learned that young Logan once held a garage sale of his toys to raise money for a friend in his class diagnosed with spina bifida, amongst a host of other charitable and giving campaigns that young Logan would come up with.  His story, the story of compassion, caring, and charity, rang true to the core values of Gallery Furniture, and so our show of gratitude to Logan was to make sure he got his Apple iPod Touch.  To ensure that his story was told, we held a press conference for him at Gallery Furniture Post Oak at 2411 Post Oak Boulevard, with the help of KPRC Channel 2's Ryan Karsgard.

Young men like Logan show what a true humanitarian is - his actions speak volumes, and Gallery Furniture feels that this young man is most certainly destined for great things.

What’s the hype with Microfiber?

Microfiber is new age technology that has been labeled as the fabric of the future. Microfiber is fiber with very thin strands, (less than one denier).

It can be made to look like suede or leather, and makes very attractive furniture. For example, many manufacturers make excellent microfiber sofas. Fabrics made with microfibers are very soft, repels water, and can be cleaned though washing allowing you to maintain beautiful and clean furniture after accidents or spills.

Gallery Furniture sells a variety of microfiber furniture in order to provide you with furniture that is durable, water repellent, and will fit well in a single person home, or where there is a big family with children.

The microfiber furniture is a great choice for price conscious shoppers and those who want furniture to resist stains and dirt. A lovely choice is the Ashley Eli Galaxy sofa. The stylish contemporary design and plush pillow top makes the sofa fashionable and comforting.

The seating cushions are surrounded by thick padded arms and supportive back cushions. The artistically curved design with the clean look of the durable upholstery fabric comes together to create a beautiful contemporary style that will fit flawlessly into any living room decor.

The sofa also has a matching love-seat, sleeper sofa, and rocking recliner. Come to Gallery Furniture today to see the wonder of microfiber for yourself. Best of all you can buy it Today and get it Today!

Gallery Furniture Saves Paper TODAY

Gallery Furniture believes in being Green! Throughout the office and underneath every cashier's deck you will find a basket that is “Paper Only.” to encourage all employees to receycle. The environment is very important to Gallery Furniture. Recycling prevents wasting potential useful materials, reduces consumption of fresh raw materials, reduces energy usage, reduces air pollution and water pollution. This is a key component of the modern waste management and is the third component of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” waste hierarchy.

Aggie Intern, Janelle, helps out as she gathers all of the office baskets to put all of the paper together.

GALLERY FURNITURE saves you MONEY TODAY and SAVES PAPER TODAY.

Old Traditions Never Die

The honor that a man of service provides is priceless. He goes above and beyond for his loved ones and his country with only one question, “How can I serve?”  And the question one raises - what is all that he stands for when he stands for so much?  Service to our country comes from a long line of tradition, honor, loyalty, and duty - these honorable people spend countless hours away from home and holidays alone.  These men and women often leave peace and comfort behind whilst defending our great nation.  

Beyond this is the fact that the men and women of the armed forces hold on to old traditions such as writing a note to say thanks or as an expression of gratitude for contributions.  Men and women in the service are mindful of the many Americans that pray, give, and shed tears for their safety and well being and the fact that they take time to write thank-you notes says a lot about holding on to solid values.

Every time a cadet or member of the service looks at the medal, uniform, or marches in the name of the United States of America, pride and honor is recognized for their selfless acts. Although all may often think about home and family, the honorable men and woman remain loyal to one another and their country in the face of uncertain circumstances.  That is why Gallery Furniture is a proud contributor to the United States Organization (USO), a non-profit that serves those who serve the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And even in the face of danger, of all that a service member goes through, the fact that they take time to sit down and write a thank-you letter is a warm gesture that resonates with Gallery Furniture.  Living in times that change so swift and seeing many people that compromise integrity in the name for getting things done the easy way, Gallery Furniture is delighted to see that the young men and women of the armed forces are a reminder of what it means to represent honor, duty, loyalty, and tradition.

Brooke Maxey, Gallery Furniture Aggie Intern, above, works at putting together a framed collage of all the thank-you letters received by Gallery Furniture as a token of thanks for the contributions Gallery Furniture has made to the USO.