Land Rover Overhaul for Haiti

We recently heard how a custom auto specialist in Markham, Ontario purchased a Land Rover Discovery with plans to send it to Haiti to transport workers who are rebuilding schools, churches and homes. NV Auto Motor Works and their partner Emmanuel International wants to raise enough money in donations to overhaul the Land Rover and ship it to Haiti for this work.

They are looking for donations, and it sounds like a good cause. If you haven't helped out in efforts to rebuild Haiti, or if you wish to again, see the attached link for more information: Rover 4 Relief

As a partner with the Arbor Day Foundation, West Bros provides makes a donation for every furniture warranty that is received from the consumer. These monies help support Arbor Day International programs, including efforts in Haiti where a reported 90% of all forests have been clear cutted. For more information on this program, check out our website at http://www.westbrosfurniture.com/arborday.htm

How to remove and install drawers with Accuride Slides

Many of you own West Bros Furniture and know about all of the attention to detail that goes into each piece. If you Don't already own a piece or two of West, you should know that one of the great features that we have used for over 15 years is the Accuride Slide. This slide should not be confused with your typical 'kitchen drawer' slide. Rather, this is a high-tech drawer component that provides superior strength and stability for every drawer we make. It is not seen when the drawer is inside the case, but there is no doubt that it is there.

One of the demonstrations we like to make to customers is to show them how the ball-bearings that make up the slide help to evenly displace the weight of the drawer. This is a great feature because it means that no matter how full or heavy the drawer is, it always opens with ease!

If there is a downside (and there is one for everything), it is the common question of how to take the drawer out and put it back into the case. When we describe how easy it is to do this, our customers can't believe that they had to ask. So, for your current and/or future needs, we've asked Adrian Legge from our Trim department to demonstrate...

Elements Collection Rockin' with Stone Finish

Further to the recent post about how many of our design and retail partners are choosing alternate finishes, I took a snap of the a dresser and nightstand from the Elements collection.

The standard finish is 'cinnamon' which has a medium brown tone, and you can see that the by applying the 'stone' finish from our Metro and Imperial View Collections has transformed it.

The styling is no longer a modern shaker style, but it how has a more sophisticated, contemporary look. The finish also accentuated the grain as well, and created a really striking piece. What do you think? Check out the collection at http://www.westbrosfurniture.com/



Elements Dresser in Stone Finish



Closeup, showing how the grain pops with this finish.



The standard Cinnamon Finish.



QR Code is Catching on...even in the furniture industry

I recently read an article from one of our furniture industry magazines about how furniture stores are beginning to appreciate the benefits of using QR Code, or a 'quick response' bar code.

For those of you who don't know what QR Code is, it is a two-dimensional bar code that is readable from QR scanners, cameras and your smart phone. It was actually developed by a Toyota subsidiary in the mid 1990's and has been catching on with a flurry over the last couple of years.

Scanlife, the maker of a popular QR code scanning software for your smart phone, has reported recently that they had more scans made in one month, than all of 2009 combined. Companies are taking advantage of the spike in popularity, encouraging consumers to scan the QR code next to products they see in stores to take the user to the company website or to send themselves an email about the product for later. West Bros used the QR code recently as a convenient tool to help customers book appointments at our showroom. The possibilities are endless.

I came across an image of a Calvin Klein billboard in New York City. As you can see from the photo, people are using their smart phones to find out more.




If you would like to try it out, download the app onto your smart phone by visiting www.scanlife.com.
Scan the photo above, or try the bar code below...

We are looking for new ways to utilize this technology, so if you have any ideas let us know.

Designers offering more with alternative Finish options

For the past few years, West Bros has been offering furniture retailers and designers some alternatives to the 'standard' finishes for our collections. In most cases, all of our collections come with one or two standard finishes which do not require an up charge. However by allowing finishes from other West Bros collections to be applied (I call it cross-pollination) for a modest up charge many of our clients are seeing renewed success of many of our collections, and increased profits for them.

We continue to see that when a customer decides to make a major purchase of high quality furniture,  there is a greater desire to put their own 'twist' on it to make their own. In fact, we've found that just giving the consumer the opportunity to choose makes it easier for the consumer to make a decision. In the example shown below, you will see a few examples of custom finishes that really change the look and style of each. From time-to-time, we will showcase other samples of custom finishes to help your creative juices...

Urbane Collection: Night Table in Fruitwood Finish

Metro Collection: Bedside Chest and Night Table in Two-toned Saratoga and Clear Finish

Newbury Street Collection: Bedside Chest with Two-toned Vintage Black base & Bourbon top

Newbury Street Collection: Night Table with Vintage Black with Bourbon Rub-through

Production of Newbury Street

For those of you who are interested, here are some interesting shots of the Newbury Street Collection during the last stages of production...enjoy.

Newbury Street is Live and Rolling!

Late last year we began working on a new bedroom collection with award winning designer Blake Tovin. Paul West, Tom Halvorsen (VP Sales & Marketing) and Blake set in motion the plans to produce a bedroom collection with a 'Neo-Classical' style that would be appealing to both transitional and contemporary consumers.

As ideas were underway, we began to research popular venues where there was an eclectic mix of both old and new in play. The ideal reference would not only have great historical significance but would also be in tune with the latest style and trends.

After considerable thought and consideration we found the perfect locale 'in the heart of Boston and nestled in the neigborhood of Back Bay.' To all who know Newbury Street, they may immediately describe it as the place where old meets new, as majestic 19th century 'brownstone' buildings are home to a unique mix of open-air cafes, restaurants and upscale boutiques.

As the style of the collection came into view, complex design intricacies such as the canted posts, continuous moldings and pewter ring and knob hardware were included to mirror those architectual features on Newbury Street. In addition, our finishing department was experimenting with a brand new finish we've called 'Mocha' that would augment the natural beauty of the solid maple construction.

And so, after a long journey with the development of the collection, two High Point Furniture Shows (which helped to pre-sell the collection to many of the better furniture stores accross North America) it is finally being shipped to stores. Here's a peak at the finish process as it took shape. For completed photos of the collection, log on to our website at www.westbrosfurniture.com.

Metro "On Board with Boomers!"

In a recent issue of the 'NHFA Home Furnishings Retailer' magazine, they make some great points about how Baby Boomers (44 million in the US and the oldest turning 63 this year) control 77% of financial assets.
The article talks about how Boomers over the age of 50 and seniors who "created the idea of home as self-expression; the generation that vowed never to get old and stodgy." It is also the group that are looking for smaller, scaled-down furniture for their newly downscaled digs and are not afraid to stay with the marketplace trends.

This article reminded me in particular of the overwhelming success of our Metro collection, which is a transitional, upscale collection that has taken off in popularity and exceeded our sales expectations.

Many within our distribution chain have told us that this success was the obvious result of good styling. However, it seems that the 'boomer' factor may be playing a more important role than first thought.

For those that aren't familiar with the Metro Collection, it is a solid maple group with a dark 'saratoga' finish and polished pewter hardware. It's scale allows it to fit perfectly into smaller spaces so that those who may want that King sized bed but have limited space can do it, since the nightstands/bedside chests are much narrower than what we typically produce.

The NHFA is geared towards furniture retailers, however it is a great source for interesting information, if you're interested- http://www.nhfa.org/

Check out our website for more on Metro and other solid wood furniture we're producing in Canada at http://www.westbrosfurniture.com/



Metro Collection- Upholstered Headboard, Beside Chest



We Love the Arbor Day Foundation

Ok, so we're on the record...we LOVE the Arbor Day Foundation. We love what they stand for and how they continue to look for new ways to help fight deforestation throughout North America and the world.

Some may think that it is odd for a Solid Wood Furniture Manufacturer to be so interested in fighting Deforestation. In a way, it is a little odd since we continue to encourage discriminate consumers to invest in solid wood products from North America. However, the relationship couldn't be more ideal. To find out how, check out our commitment to sustainability at:  http://www.westbrosfurniture.com/sustainability.htm

For those of you who know already, since 1972 The Arbor Day Foundation has been inspiring people and companies to plant, nurture, and celebrate  trees through their broad range of programs. You may have seen one of their tree magazines come to your door recently, which gives you the chance to purchase trees to raise funds to replant trees thoughout the North America.

Most recently, West Bros decided to get more involved with this organization and re-structure our warranty program around it. Today, We're making a donation for every customer who returns their warranty card to us. West Bros will provide all US-based customers with a membership to the Arbor Day Foundation and arrange for 10 sappling trees to be sent to their door to plant wherever they wish. Canadian customers are sent confirmation that 7 trees will be planted in their honour in a Canadian Forest in most need. This is all in addition to help fund many Arbor Day programs that we will talk about in future blogs.

We recently had an opportuntiy to showcase our new program at the High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina. We were fortunate to have Brian Schenk from the Arbor Day Foundation there with us to meet many of our retail and design partners.

Some of our Marketing Efforts at
the High Point Furniture Show



Brian Schenk- Arbor Day Foundation



Welcome to West Bros

Check out our site for more information on the program:
http://www.westbrosfurniture.com/arborday.htm

To Learn more about other Arbor Day Programs follow this link:
http://www.arborday.org/programs/index.cfm