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

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)
 

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.

Customers all the time ask: “What makes Gallery Furniture tick?”

The answer is simple - it's the great Gallery Furniture staff members who are 100% dedicated to delighting and satisfying customers TODAY.  And yes, that means TODAY - without any asterisks, with no exclamation points, and certainly no fine print.  The Gallery Furniture staff works hard, today and every day, for you - the world's best customers.

Gallery Furniture was devastated on May 21st by a fire that wiped out close to 95% of total inventory.  With that inventory having been consumed by a ferocious blaze that was valiantly fought by the Houston Fire Department, it meant the only inventory left were the floor models at the second Gallery Furniture store - Gallery Furniture Post Oak located at 2411 Post Oak Boulevard next to the Container Store and situated across from the Galleria.  For a short while, many a Gallery Furniture staff member called 2411 Post Oak Boulevard home.

The next day, Friday May 22nd, showed the promise of a new beginning because by 5:00 p.m. Gallery Furniture had secured a new warehouse space.  And with the speed, dedication, and audacity that the Gallery Furniture team embodies, the staff swiftly went to the task of unloading 15 truckloads of furniture and bedding - then proceeded to deliver 200,000 dollars worth of customer's orders by midnight.  To many outsiders, the task may have seemed insurmountable and impossible.  However, the insatiable desire of the Gallery Furniture family to satisfy and delight customers in the spirit of TODAY won the day, and the unquenchable thirst to bring joy to others even in the face of our own sadness allowed us to fulfill customer commitments. 

Indeed, what does make Gallery Furniture tick?  A staff whom I consider to be the best, the most dedicated, and the hardest working group of individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

If you have been dissatisfied with another retailer, then give Gallery Furniture a try - homegrown and local, let the Gallery Furniture staff amaze and delight you with their hard work and dedication to delighting you - the world's best customers - 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.

"You can't replace Elvis's Car, hun!"

Mrs. King came into Gallery Furniture to buy some new furniture, and while her story may seem sad, she wanted everyone to know the joy she felt being able to come to a new Gallery Furniture.  Her story, below, was one that moved many staff members to tears and offered a glimpse into the feelings of some Houstonians who watched the events of the May 21st fire unfold .

"I had taken my 52" TV up to my husband's transplant wing at Methodist hospital, and I remember watching with him, tears rolling down my face, as we saw the fire.  There was a sense of loss in the room, as  many of the people, my husband included, watched in disbelief.  My husband was waiting for a transplant, like so many there, and many of the folks with us knew that they may not make it - but even in that environment, even with some people knowing this may be the end, everyone in the room shared a Mattress Mack story because they had one.

It was so heartwarming to listen to people tell their Mattress Mack story, and to talk about how much good he had done for the community, and it was just a beautiful thing to hear and feel the energy in the room be so uplifting when they each told their story."

Ms. King took a minute to pause as she recounted the evening, and while she tried to fight back the tears, she then told the Gallery Furniture staff some more of how her and the patients took the news as they followed the news regarding Gallery Furniture.

"We were so, so, sad and a bit angry when we heard it was arson.  That was so wrong, so bad, and we felt bad for everyone at Gallery Furniture, especially Mattress Mack.  We thank God no one was hurt."

When asked what else had passed through their thoughts about the fire, Mrs. King did take some time to smile because of something her husband told her.

"I remember talking with my husband after we found out no one was hurt and I turned and I told him that 'I sure hope the Princess Di necklace made it out okay' to which my husband said 'I am more concerned about Elvis' car, honey!  A necklace you can replace, but you can't replace Elvis' car, hun!' - and I laughed so hard!"

Sadly, Mrs. King's husband passed away before a transplant could be found, and she said that "Had he been here, he would have been so happy to see Mack rebuild Gallery Furniture like this, and so that's why I came out, because I knew he would have wanted to be here to buy furniture at this beautiful new store!"

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!"

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.)

 

Mark This Date: 7-4-2009

Plans are moving for the grand re-opening of the 6006 I-45 North Gallery Furniture.  The showroom will open on July 4, 2009.  It will be a partial re-opening because repairs won't be complete on the rest of the building, but Gallery Furniture will again be delighting customers where it all began.

Every day brings meetings with architects, designers, and contractors who are cleaning up the front part of the store and getting it ready to re-open.  It won't be the same Gallery Furniture.  It will be an improved version of the world's greatest furniture store.

More on that later.

---

A big thank you to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee who stopped by the Post Oak store Monday morning.  She came in to express her sympathies after the May 21 fire and offer her support and assistance in getting things back to normal.

She read some of the many letters and cards that have come from customers since the fire.  She left with one of the Gallery Furniture basketballs customers get, calling it a good luck charm.

Again, thank you Congresswoman.

Main Store Re-Opening July 4

There was a big turnout at the 6006 North Freeway store this morning (Thursday, June 4) for a news conference to announce that Gallery Furniture's main store will re-open July 4.  It will be a partial re-opening, as the damage from the May 21 warehouse fire is repaired.

Every one at Gallery Furniture is excited about the future and moving forward with construction and clean up.  Out of an evil act -- the arson fire at the warehouse -- much good will come as the world's greatest furniture store is remodelled and re-invented.

A team of experts is helping us with this project, including customer experience expert Jim Gilmore, author of The Experience Economy, one of the top business books of the last decade.   Along with Gilmore, world famous designer Bill Stubbs will be working  on the renovated interior of the store.  Stubbs talked about one of the innovations coming to Gallery, a place for customers to choose a frame and fabric for a new sofa and then watch as it is built in the store, ready for delivery in about two hours.

The fire has not stopped Gallery from selling furniture and it is not stopping the store's efforts to give back to the community either.  Two new initiatives were announced at the news conference.  First, the USO centers at the Dover Air Force base in Delaware will be remodelled in the coming week as part of the Gallery commitment to the USO.  Second, in recognition of the debt of gratitude owed to the Houston Fire Department, Gallery Furniture will take part in the Adopt A Fire Station program by giving a $10,000 gift certificate to each of the 31 fire stations that were involved in fighting the fire May 21.

Another highlight of the news conference was the presentation of a three million dollar check from Liberty Mutual Insurance, the first of what will be a number of insurance checks to come.  A big thanks to Liberty Mutual, Safeco, an W. M. Jones for their work in the wake of the fire.

This revitalization of the world's greatest furniture store is going to be a triumph of the human spirit and a triumph, at the end of the day, of good over evil. We hope that out of this evil act that was performed out here, much good will come.

If you would like to make a suggestion for how the original Gallery Furniture store can be made better, please let us know.  See our Suggestion Box at www.GalleryFurniture.com.

Jim Gilmore

Bill Stubbs

Susie Barlow, USO

Media Tour of the Warehouse Site

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).