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

A Children's Furniture Bonanza at High Point found by Gallery Furniture

Lea Furniture was visited by the Gallery Furniture High Point Market in full force, if for no reason than the fact that no matter where you turned your head in High Point, there was a Sponge Bob Square Pants or Dora the Explorer everywhere, and all because Lea paired up with television network Nickelodeon.  Gallery Furniture, the world's greatest furniture store, understands being ubiquitous in marketing, but the fun part was going to check out just what all the hoopla was about and do the due diligence test.

 

 

The ladies that make up the Gallery Furniture High Point market team were certainly not fooled, and passed by the cartoon-branded product line and found a higher-quality, more durably constructed set beyond the initial cartoon-created line.  They found the Lea furniture elite collection for children.  A line that truly exhibits the form, functionality, and beauty that your child deserves.

Nancy Burke said "as a mom, I grow tired of seeing big, bulky same old, same old bunk beds and children's furniture that makes me yawn.  Look!  It's also the same panel bed that everyone has.  This line offers a serious love of diversity in style, form, function, and at a retail price that rivals the current lines you see.  This is not some big national chain nonsense that everyone has, this is unique and it is beautiful, and your child will grow with hit."

Patricia Brickner, former photographer for the Houston Chronicle, was quick to add: "this line has your regular style bunk beds, and they make them well, but they also have your standard sleigh and panel beds - but the fun difference is storage, Houston families need storage to grow because not everyone has space to spare."

 
And the furniture thinks about kids, offering a media chest for a youth room that has room and a special area designed for XBox or Wii systems and a place for a Playstation.    Also modular, like the vanity and chest set shown below.  Move out the chests, and you have a freestanding vanity.

With trundle options and more, the sets from Lea were a hit with the Gallery Furniture High Point Market team.  The storage, the modular ability, everything you can think of to grow with a child for a time to come, are encompassed in the various collections they want to show Mattress Mack and the Gallery Furniture team.
 

Gallery Furniture Honored by Houston Fire Department Honor Guard

(From Left: Mike Smith, Mattress Mack, Tom Atkinson, and Jim Wathen) 

Gallery Furniture is very thankful for the brave men and women of the Houston Fire Department, these heroes run in to a situation when so many of us are running away from it, and they risk their very lives in the process.  Often, folks forget just how hard these folks work day-in and day-out, so a while back, about a week after the first Grand Opening on 07.04.09 at Gallery Furniture, when Tommy Atkinson of the Houston Fire Department's Honor Guard told me about his need to take the Houston Fire Honor Guard to annual International Association of Fire Fighters convention, I said Gallery Furniture would be happy to help.

Serving in the Houston Fire Department's Honor Guard is an emotionally tough job.  The firefighters composing the unit serve in funerals, perform the pipe and drum ceremonies at the Houston Firefighters Memorial, and many of their members accompany the casket of a fallen comrade as a constant reminder that the fallen firefighter is not alone.  They will be with the fallen comrade's family and will walk the final steps of procession to internment, a humble and silent reminder that this a true fraternal order - an order many of us know little of, and can only begin to imagine the depths of.  These individuals are heroes is every sense of the word.

For it is their dedication to the job and task at hand that shines day in and day out in Houston.  Gallery Furniture remembers that heroism, as the night of May 21st, the gallant crews of the 31 Houston fire stations that responded to the Gallery Furniture warehouse fire saved the showroom, allowing Gallery Furniture to have an optimistic and bright future in light of the tragedy that occurred.  So, sending the dedicated firefighters of the HFD Honor Guard to Colorado Springs for an assembly of firefighters from all over the United States and Canada to honor all men and women who passed away in the line of duty the year before seemed the least Gallery Furniture could do to thank these brave souls.

The HFD Honor Guard was thankful to Gallery Furniture, and they surprised us with a certificate of appreciation from Mike Smith, Tommy Atkinson, and Jim Wathen, whose combined years of service totals 85 years - a testament to the longevity of the bond  that ties these men together.  They shared their story with us, saying that the donation given allowed them to be with their fellow brethren in a place of worship, respect, and love - where they could honor all firefighters of this great continent together, along with the families of the fallen.

Tommy Atkinson did want us to know, the Honor Guard is more than just a unit in times of memorials or crisis.  "There are many other events the HFD Honor Guard has been asked to do, such as serving as a pipe and drums during valor awards, or at the Mass for the Firefighters, even local high school graduations."  Indeed, Gallery Furniture learned there was much to these men who perform many of these actions on their own off-duty time.  This spirit of commitment, love of fellow man, and drive to give back to the community are all values shared by Gallery Furniture, and we thank the men and women of the HFD Honor Guard for giving back to their own Department as well as to the general public.

A warm thanks to Tommy Atkinson, Mike Smith, Jim Wathen and the entire body of the HFD Honor Guard as well as the Houston Fire Department for all they do, day in and day out.  All of you are true heroes.

To learn more about the Houston Honor Guard, visit their website by clicking HERE. 

 
(From Left: Mattress Mack, Mike Smith, Armando Martinez, Andrea Schaeffer,  Tom Atkinson, Ernest Hines, and Jim Wathen)
 

How Sweet the Cougar Victory, How Delicious the Food, How Awesome the TV!

      

Every red-blooded Texan loves football, and everyone loves a hometown team.  So when the chance came to help the students of the University of Houston so they could be a part of the action when UH hosted the Texas Tech Red Raiders this past Saturday, Gallery Furniture - the world's greatest furniture store - stepped up to the line of scrimmage and got involved.  Turns out that the University of Houston's ticket office had a challenge that any university athletic department likes to have but finds difficult to get through - tons of demand to get in, not enough tickets to give out.  Gallery Furniture is Houston's leader in solving all kinds of problems, and instead of furniture, Gallery Furniture delivered food, fun, and a HUGE LCD TV!

   

You see, Gallery Furniture decided to offer up some free food in the form of BBQ ribs, burgers, sausage, hot dogs, and some corn along with a HUGE LCDTV on a  GoVision truck - a huge 9' high x 16' high Daktronics LCD television that broadcast the University of Houston matchup against Tech within the Red Lot at the corner of Scott and Wheeler - right in the heart of tailgate alley. 

  

The board's brightness could be seen from as far as the top deck of Robertson Stadium, and the students and alumni and guests that didn't have a chance at a ticket enjoyed some great Texas football at the Gallery Furniture Official Cougar Watch Party.  Gallery Furniture is more than just the world;s greatest furniture store - Gallery Furniture knows how to tailgate.  As the game played, and the emotional rollercoaster that played out on the grid iron reverberated in the cheers, gasps, and outcries of the tailgaters in the crowd, Gallery Furniture helped to create a fun, safe, and festive atmosphere for the enjoyment of all.  Whether you were an opposing Texas Tech Red Raider or a hometown University  of Houston Cougar, you were right there for every minute of one of the most exciting football games of the year.

   

Coach Joe Curl, who this year celebrates his 11th year at the helm of the University of Houston's Women's Basketball Team, kindly donated not just of his talented cooking efforts, but his world-famous Pitts-N-Spitts BBQ trailer to cook all the great food supplied by Gallery Furniture.  Working side by side with the Gallery Team, Coach Curl led the troops in feeding the massive horde of fans from both sides of this pigskin match.  Cougar and Raider alike tore into burgers, dogs, and ribs and cheered their team all the way until the clock reached zero - and what a sight it was.  The energy of the evening eclipsed anything the Gallery Furniture team had seen in some time - with one member of the crew saying "it reminded me of when the Astros played in the World Series - it was awesomely beautiful to be in the center of the energy and the experience."

Dropping by for some grub that evening and to talk shop with Joe Curl and the Gallery Furniture team was Assistant Athletic Director of Ticket Operations for the University of Houston, Mike Rea.  Along for the visit with Mike was Director of Ticket Operations for Texas Tech, Jarod Huddleston, who was excited to chow down on some delicious grub.  The energy of the tailgate crowd impressed Rea and Huddleston, who chose to watch part of the 3rd quarter at the Gallery Furniture tailgate party and were impressed with the set-up.

 

Team effort.  That's what wins games, and that's what won the night for the University of Houston football team in a tense game whose down-to-the-wire win will go down in the annals of Houston history as a storied tale of a great passing game, smart defensive plays, and sound clock management.  Just like the Cougars, the Gallery Furniture team came together for the students, alumni, and guests with sound best practices in event management so that Raider fans and Cougar fans alike could enjoy a game near the epicenter of energy this past Saturday - the tailgate lot of Robertson Stadium, home of the mighty University of Houston Cougars.   And a few ticks after midnight into Sunday, the explosion of triumph could be felt throughout Houston, with the party starting at the Gallery Furniture University of Houston Cougar Watching Tailgate Event.

Monkeys and Birds in a Furniture Store? Yes. Only at Gallery Furniture.

Many people have asked, "Why monkeys and birds in a furniture store?"

Gallery Furniture has always marched to the beat of its own drum, and many folks wonder why there are monkeys and birds in a furniture store?  Fact is, my wife Linda and I have always loved animals and for years have chosen to share this love of all of God's creatures with friends, family,  and the world's greatest customers - those that walk through the door of Gallery Furniture.

Leading our lovely flock is Mack the Hyacinth Macaw - who has been the number one bird at Gallery for over 10 years.   Over the years, Gallery Furniture has hosted the Three Amigos miniature horses, Post Oak the Grand Champion Steer, champion race horses, and other birds - yet Mack the Hyacinth Macaw has always held stage front and center.

Following the evening of the devastating fire of May 21st, Gallery Furniture received many inquiries from friends, and our family of customers who wanted to know how the birds - and the other beautiful animals - were and their condition following the fire.  A series of blogs showcasing the animals, including one of Post Oak the Champion Steer living in a ranchland paradise, made their way so that folks could see that the animals they grew to know and love were doing quite well.

My wife and I then decided that since folks loved the animals so much, we should look into bringing more of them into the Gallery Furniture family.  And While Linda was looking into acquiring some more birds she met Robert Williams and his then six-month old baby Brown-Tufted Capuchin monkey "Sasha".   Robert is a native Houstonian whose love for exotic animals started when he was sixteen and has culminated into a passion to rescue and re-home several capuchins, an older female chimpanzee, even two brown bears!  

The chance meeting of Linda and Robert was one of serendipity - turns out my wife has always loved monkeys herself, and she wanted to share the wonders of these delightful creatures with those who visited Gallery Furniture.   Wanting to bring a new a new and dynamic experience for the world's greatest customers, we hired Robert for his many years of experience working with birds, primates and the general public.

Since the 100% Grand Opening Celebration, Gallery Furniture is proud to have one of the few Toco Toucans born each year outside the wild to share with its customers.  There are also three Keelbilled and two Swainson's Toucans that came from expert breeder and bird caretaker Chad Jensen in San Diego, California.  Together, Robert and Linda have put together a collection of over seventeen different species of exotic birds, which includes Mack the Hyacinth Macaw, who serves as patriarch to this magnificent assortment of birds.

Naturally, all creatures big and small need care, and with the Gallery Furniture monkeys, this is no exception.  Both Linda and Robert are very busy with the six baby Gallery Monkeys and the two that belong to Robert.    With love, care, and helping hands, the expert care of these creatures allows Gallery Furniture to bring to the world's greatest customers an experience to watch these great creatures interact with one another  - from seeing them gleefully at play or sleeping peacefully - in the fabulous monkey habitat which made its debut Labor Day Weekend.

The Gallery Furniture Monkey troupe consists of Parker, a 4.5 month old female and Tidwell a 4.5 month old male, both Brown-Tufted Capuchins that were born at the Smokey Mountain Zoo in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Recently added to the troupe is Logan, a 3.5 month old male and Kate, a 10 week old female.  Logan's namesake is that of the selfless young man who walked into the Post Oak location after the fire and insisted on giving myself and the Gallery Furniture family of employees a bag of money he had been saving for an Apple iPod.  Since Logan's sister's name is Kate, it followed to reason that the we honor the family names.  Gallery Furniture also has a baby Brown-Tufted male and White Throat male that are currently looking for names in the "Name the Monkey" contest (as shown on the front page of GalleryFurniture.com). 

Sasha and Cody, also Capuchin monkeys, are Robert's own and they love to ham it up for the Gallery Furniture customers while in the monkey habitat - especially the male Cody who loves to swing and perform for all of the wonderful Gallery Furniture customers who stop by to watch and wave hello.

Gallery Furniture's animals are always there to bring a smile to the many visitors in the store every day of the week.   Likewise, they are also there to provide educational opportunities unlike any other. Gallery Furniture will be starting a school field trip program where classes of children can come to the store to learn about the animals in an up close and personal setting.   With Robert's expertise in education and instruction - he teaches at the University of Houston Downtown - Gallery Furniture will offer a unique look into these creatures for children who may never venture far out of an urban environment.

The Gallery Furniture animals will also continue the great Gallery Furniture tradition of charitable good will and helping others in need.  For example, two of the Gallery Furniture monkeys made a special appearance at Petapalooza to help raise money for the Houston Humane Society - a notable organization looking to help God's creatures who have no voice of their own.

So, why monkeys and birds in a furniture store?  Because Gallery Furniture is a one-of-a-kind furniture store.  Not only will Gallery Furniture save you money and deliver your furniture TODAY, Gallery Furniture will also bring you a store experience unlike any other in the world… TODAY.

Great Day at Gallery Furniture

Gallery Furniture started at 100% this morning with a great gift for customers and a visit from Houston's very own Deborah Duncan and her show, Great Day Houston (which airs live daily on KHOU, Channel 11, at 9:00 a.m.).

Customers waited through the night to not just be a part of Gallery Furniture's 100% Celebration, they waited to be the first customers in the store and receive a $500 Gift Certificate as well as a seat in the audience for the Great Day Houston show!  The first 100 through the doors this morning at 8:00 a.m. received a Gallery Furniture Gift Certificate and were selected as audience members. The next 100 customers through the doors of the world's greatest furniture store also received a $500 Gift Certificate and had standing room only to watch as Gallery Furniture went live and showcased the new showroom, exciting new rugs display, the Princess Castle & surrounding children's furniture area, the new and improved playground for kids, the QWebL Home Automation system, the inspirational home set ups, and got a tour of the new vignette display at Gallery Furniture.

First up with Deborah on the Great Day Houston show was Mack, Emergency Operations Assistant Chief Carl Matejka, and Gallery Furniture Sculptor Bob Mosier.  Gallery Furniture thanked the Houston Fire Department for their tremendous work in saving the showroom, and several members of the brave members of HFD who battled that blaze were on hand to receive a rousing standing ovation from the Deborah Duncan audience.

Gallery Furniture decorator Mike Burns and world-renowned Bill Stubbs then appeared with Mack and went over some of the new and novel concepts going on TODAY at Gallery Furniture that make up the DNA of the store being at 100% - highlighting design ideas and store concepts and showcasing the new inspiration homes now on display at Gallery Furniture.

Mattress Mack also highlighted the new Build-A-Sofa Workshop here at Gallery Furniture - a first for any store, anywhere in the world.  As Mack said on the Deborah Duncan show, "well, I was inspired by the Build-A-Bear workshop in the Galleria!" and now Gallery Furniture makes history as customers will have a chance to pick a style, fabric, and pillows and watch as their custom built sofa comes to life within hours.  Gallery Furniture exists to serve and delight customers with big savings, big selection, and same day delivery - and now add to that the ability to have furniture made your way TODAY!

 

Great Day Houston then spent some time with Mack and Robert Williams, the animal handler at Gallery Furniture responsible for handling both the birds and the new Gallery Furniture monkeys!

Mattress Mack then took time to honor long-time Gallery Furniture employees such as Daryl Luckett, Dolores Webber, Matt Pitcher, Roy Ortega, and Jimmy Tran - combined, they have over 75 years of experience at Gallery Furniture, and Deborah Duncan's audience "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" as numbers such as "23 years" were spoken to state number of years of service at Gallery Furniture.  Folks just don't see that much these days at companies, though at Gallery Furniture years of service are what customers get - experts exist in every aspect of Gallery Furniture to delight customers daily!

Gallery Furniture was happy to have world-renonwed decorator Bill Stubbs take time to show Houstonians how to decorate quickly and simply, and gave tips throughout the Great Day Houston show.   In case you didn't know, Bill Stubbs has his own show, "Moment of Luxury" on PBS - of which Gallery Furniture is a proud sponsor of.

To top if all off, Gallery Furniture then gave one lucky customer a $5,000 Gift Certificate, and the lucky winner, Mike Gatewood, had (by coincedence) drawn number 31 on the Gift Certificate (which, if you see the new Gallery Furniture logo, is a number held dear to the Gallery Furniture family, as it represents the 31 fire stations that battled the fierce warehouse inferno!)

So, come on down this weekend to Gallery Furniture and experience great savings and fun this weekend during the Gallery Furniture 100% Labor Day Weekend Super Sale, going on TODAY.

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! 

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.

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!

Red Bull Visits Gallery Furniture

The holiday season is passing, but the spirit of giving is not. Today Gallery Furniture’s employees were visited by the Red Bull street team Francis

and Diane.  The two Red Bull representatives work to spread awareness and promote the uses of Red Bull.

They were excited to let Gallery Furniture employees try the drink.   Red Bull is for those individuals who have busy schedules or want to be wide awake and active.  Francis and Diane insist, though that the benefits of

drinking Red Bull are obvious once you drink it.  " I had one this morning because I had a late night yesterday," said one of the reps.

The street team also passed out booklets that included information on how Red Bull increases performance, concentration and improves reaction speed, endurance, and stimulates the metabolism. 

The Gallery Furniture’s delivery department was happy to receive the liquid energy boost. “Thanks girls, I drink ten    of these a week” said one employee to Francis. 

From life size gingerbread furniture to being visited by the Red Bull beattle, you never know what exciting thing will happen at Gallery Furniture!

St Ambrose Catholic School

Everyday Gallery Furniture thrives to make its customers very happy.  This past year Gallery Furniture donated over 35 homes to needy families that deserve a second chance this year.
Gallery Furniture received a letter from Bernadette a friend of one of the Christmas giveaways recipients and expressed her thankfulness that we were able to help her friend in need.

What makes this story special is George Ann was contacted by Bernadette, and told her how St Ambrose Catholic School was helping a family for the Christmas holidays.  And having the big heart Gallery Furniture has, we exceeded the giveaway limit to help this particular family in need. Bernadette couldn't have been happier for the help that was spread to others.

Gallery Furniture SAVES YOU MONEY and is there for a HELPING HAND!!