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

Taking Great Care of Customers is the Gallery Furniture Way

Taking great care of customers is what Gallery Furniture is all about.  Sometimes I forget how much a set of new furniture and home theater electronics from Gallery Furniture means for our great customers.  Recently, Gallery Furniture's world class delivery team delivered a houseful of furniture and electronics to a wonderful customer out in Livingston, Texas.

Upon the driver's return, I found out that our Livingston customer had their home destroyed by Hurricane Ike, and they had been displaced as a result.  Now, 365 days later, they were delighted to have their new house full of Gallery Furniture living room, bedroom, dining room, and home electronics all delivered and installed flawlessly.  The expert Gallery Furniture delivery team once again showing how to take great care of the world's greatest customers.

Gallery Furniture's Livingston customers were happy to find out from their furniture delivery team that the original location at 6006 I-45 North between Tidwell and Parker is once again back at 100% operation, and open for the business of serving and delighting the world's greatest customers with same-day delivery and a wide selection of living room furniture, dining room furniture, home theater and electronics, leather and reclining sofas, loveseats, and chairs, and of course, the world's greatest mattress, the Gallery Furniture Tempur-Pedic.

Learn what Gallery Furniture's wonderful Livingston, Texas customers have learned - that Gallery Furniture is open 100% to take great care of you, the world's best customers.  Drop by 6006 I-45 North between Tidwell and Parker TODAY and enjoy great savings, same-day delivery and world-class customer service.

A Giving Aunt Finally Receives

For the 25th year, Gallery Furniture is providing new furniture to 33 families in the Houston area during this holiday season.  These families were chosen by a judging committee from thousands of letters Gallery Furniture received this year.  This is the story of one of those families.

Aunt Debbie, as her family calls her, has been an outstanding individual since her youth. Even before she got married, she helped raise a family of three.  Aunt Debbie, now widowed, had four kids of her own, and adopted her four nieces and nephews after her sister passed away.  Aunt Debbie is one of those rare individuals who has always been there to help others, never expecting anything in return. 

As Ms. Tyler said, “Her doors [are always] open to those in need, the ones who need food, [and] the ones who need a place to stay.”  During Hurricane Ike, when she and the whole Houston area were without electricity, “she managed to take care of all her family and then some.”

Gallery Furniture was made aware of how exceptional Aunt Debbie is and how much she needed the help, and decided it was time for her to get something back. Aunt Debbie was surprised Tuesday afternoon with a house full of furniture, complete with a comfortable micro fiber living room set, very homey dining room set, useful bedroom furniture, and relaxing mattresses. Gallery Furniture is dedicated to giving back to the community, and what better opportunity than to help those who help others!

A True Handy Man At Heart

For the 25th year, Gallery Furniture is providing new furniture to 33 families in the Houston area during this holiday season.  These families were chosen by a judging committee from thousands of letters Gallery Furniture received this year.  This is the story of one of those families.

Chris is a true handy man at heart. He is the single father of two young girls and one boy. Like many local families, they suffered damage during Hurricane Ike.  The roof of their mobile home was damaged and water ruined most of their belongings.

Chris says, “The only that saved my life was the barbecue pit that came between me and the roof when it flew off the house.”

Family friend Wendy wrote to Gallery Furniture about Chris and how he was coping with the aftermath of the storm.

Chris and his children have been living in the garage behind his mobile home while waiting on FEMA and insurance money.  He enclosed the garage with scraps of wood and anything else he could salvage. They've had no running water since the storm. 

When asked how he and his children have lived in the garage, Chris says "just like thousands of others."

Chris has shown that he is a true handy man at heart, by repairing the roof and other damage to his mobile home and  even making furniture.

“If you don’t have it, make it yourself,” he says.  

 Monday, the Gallery Furniture crew brought a truck full of new furniture for Chris and  his family.  They delivered new bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, and a living room set for the repaired mobile home.

The youngest daughter said, “I didn’t know all this was ours, is it all free?!”

And Chris closed with these words, “Uncle Mack came through for us!”

 

 

Pictures from the Gallery Furniture sponsored USO Mobile Canteen

Gallery Furniture has been sponsoring three USO Mobile Canteens to go to the affected areas of the Texas Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Ike.  Tonia White, a Director of Development for the USO, brought us her blog earlier, and has now sent some photos she took during her stay with the Jamaica Beach USO Mobile Canteen.  Her pictures from her perspective on the Gallery Furniture USO Mobile Canteen...

On far left is Darrel Luckett of Gallery Furniture, posing with the rest of the USO Mobile Canteen staff at the Gallery Furniture sponsored USO Mobile Canteen.

Some Fire / EMS staff from the local area enjoying Internet connectivity and flat screen television courtesy of the Gallery Furniture sponsored USO Mobile Canteen!

The memories live on - at the Jamaica Beach Fire Department, other departments have left their mark on the support beams.  A testament to those who helped in the wake of destruction of Hurricane Ike.

Hot meals, friends, neighbors, workers gather to talk, enjoy some down time as they work to rebuild their community one day at a time.

A quiet moment as local residents stand at attention during the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.  A true testament to the American Spirit.

The road goes on forever... the Gallery Furniture sponsored USO Mobile Canteen heads to its next destination.

A Blog from the Gallery Furniture-sponsored USO Mobile Canteen

Gallery Furniture loves to receive blogs from the field from folks who are a part of our service projects.  Often, in situations like those following Hurricane Ike, Gallery Furniture finds that the greatest good is served by giving to large organizations so they can distribute to individuals in need, like the men and women who are helping to rebuild communities impacted by the storm.  That's why Gallery Furniture has sponsored the USO Mobile Canteens to go along the Texas Gulf Coast from Galveston to Crystal Beach and provide a warm meal and bring some basic comforts along to residents and folks rebuilding.

Here's a blog from Tonia White, a Director of Development for the USO, with her report from the field:

JAMAICA BEACH, TX -  "Do you think you could leave it on until Letterman?" the Chief asked. "Its been so long since I watched TV."   Unfortunately, the crew of the USO Mobile Vehicle that contained the 2 coveted flat screens had planned on packing up just after the Monday night football game was over.  The crew had brought the almost 40 foot RV out to Jamaica Beach, one of the devastated areas of the Gulf Coast, that afternoon to give the remaining residents and the local first responders a brief touch of home through Monday Night Football and grilled hamburgers. 

Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Spicer and his crew of twelve men have been watching over their city of Jamaica Beach since Hurricane Ike hit the area over 30 days ago.  They were part of the first responders in the region. Although they now have water, ice and electricity in their building, the rebuilding still continues in the remaining areas.  Chief Spicer sits back in his chair, his half chewed cigar poised purposefully in his left hand, " I will gladly talk to you about my men", my question about him and his own contributions left politely ignored. Besides the massive amounts of destruction and debris, they most noticed the horrid stench and huge numbers of biting green flies, "It was almost biblical," he added. 

They found ways to improvise a working area by salvaging picnic tables for desks and a barbecue pit nicknamed 'Ike' to have hot meals on occasion.  Mostly the Chief prays for nightfall, when he says the calls for medical or other aid diminish, and he can have a brief respite from his demanding role until the next daybreak.  One of the most remarkable aspects of Chief Spicer and his men is that they are all volunteers, and do not have any idea how long the rebuilding will take.  All are wondering what fires will come when the electricity is finally restored to the damaged area.

They have made a home above the firehouse and periodically share their space with firemen from surrounding areas that come to lend support in 48 hour shifts. Today a crew from Missouri City, TX helps with keeping watch, although things have been relatively quiet on this Monday night.

That is until the USO arrived.  Sponsored by local Houston furniture dealer and consistent philanthropist, Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, the USO and Mattress Mack partnered to bring to the firemen, EMTs, Coast Guard and remaining residents a sense of normalcy and home for at least one night.  The USO brought the high tech mobile vehicle with connectivity, flat screens and X Box games, Mattress Mack supplied the food, and news spread through emergency radios or anyone passing by well-lit firehouse.  The USO and Mack have been providing relief to several areas in the region over the last few weeks and even though its not the USO's usual mission, they continue to "serve those who serve us" in the devastated region. 

Thanks a million, Tonia, for your report from the field.  Gallery Furniture is proud to partner with the USO and their Mobile Canteens to bring some small comforts of home to those along the impacted area! Tonia event sent some photos along to highlight the positive impact the Gallery Furniture sponsored USO mobile canteens are bringing:

Chief Steve Spicer (foreground) and Jamaica Beach City Manager John Brick (back).

Daybreak at the Gallery Furniture sponsored mobile canteen in Jamaica Beach.

These colors don't run... a patriotic tribute to show strength in face of the adversity and after the damage wrought by Hurricane Ike.

A familiar sight around Jamaica Beach and other impacted areas - boats came ashore during Hurricane Ike and left scattered on streets and lawns.

A Touch of Normal Life in Surfside

Camping on the beach is a lot of fun in normal times, but not so much fun when you're doing it because you have to, and doing it for weeks. That's what a lot of people in our area face. They are camping in their homes near the beach, making repairs when they can and waiting for power and water to come back after Hurricane Ike.

The financial problems on Wall Street and Washington's reaction may have bumped Ike and Southeast Texas from the television news and front pages, but the folks who live along the Gulf coast are still trying to deal with the effects of the storm and return to a normal life.

That's why Gallery Furniture and the USO are working to bring help to those who need it, particularly the families of American service men and women who are serving overseas. Gallery Furniture is underwriting the visits of two USO mobile canteens to the coast. One of them was in Surfside, Texas, in Brazoria County, Monday, offering a hot meal, a cool drink, and a chance to contact loved ones overseas.

The mobile canteens aren't full scale kitchens, but they do have the ability to serve hot and cold drinks, satellite connections to the Internet, and entertainment for children. The volunteers who man the canteen have also brought along grills so they can cook hot dogs and hamburgers. These volunteers are able to help families send email to relatives in the Armed Forces, provide a hot meal, cold water, a clean tee shirt, and a place to relax. Monday they were able to see several hundred people in the Surfside community, including residents, repair crews, and rescue workers.

The people who live on the coast are tough folk who are determined to ride out of the storm's aftermath and rebuild. Gallery Furniture is proud to be able to help them get through these challenging days.

"Nobody Else Would Do It"

When Maria came home to Houston after evacuated to Dallas during Hurricane Ike, she found a mess in  her apartment.  There was no power and the roof had leaked during the storm, soaking her bed and ruining her mattress.

That first night she slept on the couch and the next day it was time to visit Gallery Furniture for a new mattress.

Coming to Gallery was an easy decision for her.  She had a bad experience with another store when she bought the first mattress and had to wait a week for delivery.  Maria didn't want to wait, she wanted her new mattress that night, and she knew that Gallery Furniture would deliver the same day.  As she says, "Nobody else would do it."

Maria says she learned a lot about Gallery Furniture last year when she participated in the Miss Gallery Furniture contest.  She knew about the people and the service and Gallery Furniture and she knew Gallery would deliver today. 

So she bought a new queen size mattress and foundation and had it delivered to her apartment in time to sleep on a new mattress her second night at home.

If you need a new mattress, because of the storm or any other reason, you can buy it today at Gallery Furniture and sleep on it tonight! 

Helping Those who Help Others

Gallery Furniture cares about the victims and those who suffered in the recently ravaged Gulf Coastal region by Hurricane Ike.  Recovery began today for the Galveston County Health District Offices and Gallery Furniture's own Jeremy Hunt blogged his delivery trip to Galveston Island:

"This is Jeremy from Gallery Furniture's Delivery Department.  First off, a big thanks to Mack for letting me take time to enter my blog on today's first delivery back to Galveston by Gallery Furniture since Hurricane Ike devastated the beautiful island.  This somber delivery gave me an opportunity to see the damage first hand. 

The scenes en route to the Galveston EMS tell the tale...

Gallery Furniture shows up at the Galveston EMS site... ready to deliver some much needed mattresses and box springs to the Galveston EMS crew!

The whole reason I was down there was because our friends with the Galveston EMS called and said they needed mattresses ASAP.  Turns out that they knew that one call to Gallery was all they needed and the truck was on its way.  After a stop at the Galveston County Health District offices in La Marque, Texas it was off to Galveston by way of an ambulance escort - led by Galveston EMS Medics T.K. Mills and D. Perez, who led the way over the Causeway. 

Jeremy Hunt of Gallery Furniture works hard to deliver for the Galveston EMS TODAY!

Tight fits are no problem for Gallery Furniture delivery crews.

Too Tired?  No such thing for T.K. Williams of Galveston EMS, who pitched in for the labor.  Just goes to show you what class acts these EMS folks are - helping out in a Gallery Furniture delivery after a long day helping citizens... all to help out their fellow responders.

Those two guys were really something, helping out and carrying the old mattresses out and the new ones in - T.K. Mills and D. Perez are dedicated Galveston EMS Medics and we hope that they, and the entire first responder units, will be able to finally start getting some good rest on Gallery Furniture mattresses.

Left, D. Perez and right T.K. Mills of the Galveston EMS.

A big thanks to all the men and women - folks like T.K. Mills and D. Perez of the Galveston EMS - who work in first responder services who are there for Galveston during this time." 

Thanks, Jeremy! Gallery Furniture is here for Texas TODAY - and Gallery Furniture crews are ready to deliver furniture far and wide along the Texas coast and beyond to get folks furniture as they set to rebuild and get their lives back on track.

Dickinson Couple: "We'll Be Back By Christmas"

Like a lot of people who live in Dickinson, Texas, Patricia and Michael had a lot of damage from Hurricane Ike.  They aren't letting it stop them from taking control of their lives and it certainly hasn't stopped them from being optimistic about the future.

They're both teachers, and both will be returning to work this week.  Patricia says they've spent the last few days taking a break from clean up work.  It seems their family urged them to go to Dallas for a good night's rest in a hotel -- with a jacuzzi she notes -- and a chance to pick up clothes and shoes and some supplies that are hard to find in Dickenson.

They spent part of the day Monday in Gallery Furniture, getting ready to replace their furniture.  Their first purchase is a sofa that looks "just like the one that was ruined."

Michael says they had about two and a half feet of water in their house from the storm surge.  They've got all the furniture, carpet, and appliances out, thanks to what Patricia describes as a little army of family who pitched in.  They still need to remove damp sheetrock so it will be a while before they are ready to take delivery of new furniture, appliances, and carpet, but they've gotten a start.

Michael says they'll have it all back to what it was by Christmas.  Gallery Furniture is glad to help them get started.

When you're ready to start putting things back to the way the were before the storm -- or make them even better -- Gallery Furniture is here, ready with the furniture, electronics, and rugs you'll need.