Three member stores receive national recognition

Art Van Furniture’s in-house creative design and web design teams have been recognized by the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA), a national organization based in Washington, D.C.

The advertising creative team has been awarded the bronze RACie (“Retail Award for Creativity, innovation and excellence”) award in the Multi-Media Campaign category for its Michigan H.O.M.E.S. campaign. The web design team was recognized for creating the Most Improved Website.

Art Van’s creative design team produced a series of catalogues, direct mail and point-of-purchase collateral featuring the company’s exclusive Michigan H.O.M.E.S. brand. All photography was shot in Michigan for the campaign.

While further improvements are planned for the company’s website—artvan.com—a revised search function, posting of additional merchandise and an updated design have improved the consumer experience with the site.

For the third consecutive year, Bronze Bay Tanning LLC in East Lansing has been recognized by Looking Fit Magazine, a national trade publication for the indoor tanning industry, as one of the top 250 salons in the nation. More than 25,000 freestanding tanning salons currently operate in the U.S. The magazine editors chose salons for the list based on their professionalism, commitment to education and superior customer service.

Ann Arbor-based Crown House of Gifts has been awarded Gold Status as a Vera Bradley dealer. The store is already the largest purveyor of Vera Bradley products in Washtenaw County; its Gold Status guarantees its customers that Crown House of Gifts will be first to introduce new product releases and offer special order capability.

Jewelers of America is seeking jewelry store participants for its 2008 Cost of Doing Business Survey. JA members will receive the survey in the mail, and the format of the online survey has been updated to make it even easier to participate. It is organized like the four-page print survey and users can navigate between pages prior to completion without losing data.

Completing the survey online (at ja2008.advantage411.com) has distinct benefits, according to JA. At the end of the survey, the participant’s ratios will be calculated immediately. By printing out these operating ratios, participants may compare the numbers with industry averages published in the final report, for a quick analysis of the company's overall performance.

JA members who complete the short, confidential questionnaire by May 15 will receive a free copy of the 2008 Cost of Doing Business Survey, a $150 value. Last year, members who completed the survey said the results helped benchmark their performance against competition.

Modern Tire Dealer, the tire industry’s leading publication, is now accepting nominations for its 2008 Tire Dealer of the Year award. The award, established in 1993, is the most prestigious honor that an independent tire dealer can receive, according to the magazine’s editor.

Each year, one dealer is chosen from a pool of 26,000 eligible independent tire dealers throughout North America. Dealers are evaluated in five key categories: business success, marketing skill, management skill, industry knowledge and community involvement. The contest is open to independent tire dealers of any size.

Nominations will be accepted until June 1. More information can be found at www.moderntiredealer.com.

The 112-year-old Klingman Furniture Company has been purchased by the Israels family, owners of Israels Fine Home Furnishings stores in Grand Rapids. The new owners plan to move the store to a new location when the lease at its current location at Centerpointe Mall expires at the end of May, according to Robert Israels.

The new Klingman’s will be restocked with the lines—Stickley, Hancock & Moore, Sealy, Stearns & Foster and many others—for which Klingman’s became known. But first it will sell out the entire stock from the old store as soon as possible. Grand Rapids-based Lynch Sales Company is handling the sale.

The Lynch Sales Company has opened a new office in London, Ontario and has appointed Don and Carol Ashford as divisional managers for Canada. This office is in addition to the Ottawa, Ontario office headed up by senior sales consultant Gordon Zuliani. Stuart Kerr, who resides in Montreal, Quebec, has also been hired as a senior sales consultant.

“Friendly Ferndale”—a citywide program organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Ferndale DDA—aims to teach everyone from city employees to local store clerks tips on friendly customer service.

The program will develop a set of customer service standards and offer seminars that highlight those standards in various professions. The program’s goal is to boost business and retail traffic, as well as serve as a model for other communities.

Seminars will be offered at a small cost to business owners and employees to ensure its affordability, according to City Manager Robert Bruner. The program also hopes to offer businesses that participate in the training with some type of certification notice indicating they’re “Friendly Ferndale” approved.

Green Oak Village Place, a lifestyle center in Livingston County, has signed an agreement with HomeGoods—an off-price home fashion store and a division of TJX Companies—to serve as a 25,000-square-foot junior anchor store. Construction began April 1 and the store is expected to open in early fall.