by Diane Capuano Paint & Decorating Retailer Executive Editor
dealer feature
Preserving the Independent Option Kerry Jones’ goal is to make sure that there is always an independent paint store for the residents of High Point, N.C.
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rom his vantage point as an independent paint and decorating store retailer in High Point, N.C., Kerry Jones has seen other independents in town shutter their doors over the last couple of decades. It hasn’t just been other paint stores that have fallen by the wayside, but also independents in other industries such as electronics. Watching the demise of these independent retail options has only served to make Kerry more resolute about keeping his own business viable and thriving. “It is my goal that there will always be an independently owned store in High Point where people can go and buy paint,” he says with strong conviction.
l Huffman Paint & Wallcovering is an endearing business in High Point, N.C.
An Unlikely Partnership Kerry is the owner of Huffman Paint & Wallcovering, a business that was started by Ven Huffman 61 years ago. The store is located on North Main Street in the community of High Point, which has approximately 100,000 residents. The Jones family has had half or total ownership of Huffman Paint for 60 of its 61 years—and all because Kerry’s father, Clarence, used to walk by the store on his way from the bus stop to the boarding house after a hard day of work. “One day, my dad walked into the store, and Ven said he would like to offer him a job,” Kerry reports. “My
l This photo represents 246 years of experience. From left: Kerry Jones, Lora Comer, Jerry Stone, Bill Key, Terry Patterson and Robert Lee. Kneeling: Steve Beshears.
dad said, ‘Job? I was thinking I could be your partner.’ ” That may have seemed like a piein-the-sky type thing to say, especially
considering that Clarence Jones didn’t have any more money than what was in his pocket at the time. Nevertheless, Ven liked the straightforward style of P D R August 2011
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this ambitious young man, and soon afterward, the partnership did take place. Since money was tight in those early days of the business, the two men decided to keep the business name as is rather than pay to change it. So, Huffman Paint & Wallcovering it was, and Huffman Paint & Wallcovering it remains to this day. While Kerry owns the business, Ven Huffman’s estate owns the building and his stepson, Robert Lee, works on the sales floor. Kerry got his start in the business when he was just in elementary school. He literally learned the business from the ground up, sweeping floors and filling the soda machine. “I started out working for $1 a day, and then I got my big raise to $2 a day,” he recalls. He made his share of mistakes in those early days—for example, fumbling with the clamps on the shaking equipment so that the cans came out looking “like accordions,” according to Kerry. But over the years, Kerry learned the business well from being around his dad, day in and day out. “I got a lot of my business training every night at the supper table,” he says. Eventually, Kerry went out to college, and when he graduated, he came back to the store full time. The merchandise mix of the store has remained fairly constant over the years. The store still sells paint, paint sundries and wallcoverings, though now it also sells a limited amount of window treatments. Those who come into the store have come to regard the business as a fixture in the community. “We’re dealing with third-generation customers in some cases,” Kerry reports. “There are those customers whose parents and grandparents have done business with us, but we’re also attracting new customers.”
Going to Market While consumer clientele is a big part of Huffman Paint’s business, professional accounts are what keep the store viable throughout the year. The store does substantial trade with painting contractors and painter/maintenance accounts as well as supplying OEM paints 46
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l A photo of the store interior before remodeling.
l A view of the store after remodeling.
for local manufacturing companies. But, by far, the most significant part of Huffman Paint’s business is supplying products to the world-famous High Point International Home Furnishings Market, now known simply as the High Point Market. Held twice a year, the High Point Market accounts for one-third to 40 percent of Huffman Paint’s business in a 12-month period. “That’s our Christmas twice a year,” Kerry explains.
This is very much a unique business, in which the world’s most renowned furniture manufacturers set up vignettes that resemble living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and other rooms in a home for an event that attracts buyers from around the U.S. and around the world. While the store has been supplying the High Point Market for decades, every year Kerry and his staff have to re-earn this business. “Nothing about
this is automatic,” he says. “We have to re-sell it every year. Today, we have to put more effort into selling and work harder than ever to make sure we get our share.” As an example, the next market will take place Oct. 22-27, 2011. By early August, Kerry and his staff are already soliciting business and making sure that their name is fresh in the minds of clients. The advantage that Huffman Paint has going for it is the experience and the expertise to meet the needs of the demanding clientele participating in the market. “The biggest challenge is that ‘no’ and ‘tomorrow’ are not an acceptable answer,” Kerry explains. The end-user customers for the furniture market work are predominantly local painting contractors who will be doing the work for the furniture companies. However, sometimes the customers are furniture manufacturers who do their own work or have a person who supervises it. Kerry has to ensure that his product offering meets the needs of the end-use customers, but for High Point Market, customer expectations are unique and evolve on a yearly basis. “They want something that covers the best and costs the least,” he explains. “They want it to look good because their image is at stake.” Because of the economy, there has been some cutting back, Kerry concedes. “There used to be more faux finishing and wallcoverings used, but now it’s mostly wall paint,” he reports. There used to be more eggshell finishes, but now it’s mostly flats.” Additionally, color choices change on a yearly basis. “It’s a challenge figuring out what bases to stock and also how much to carry in the way of eggshells or flats,” Kerry reports.
Outservicing the Competition In the past several years, competition for the High Point Market business—and for business in general— has gotten ultra-competitive. On the contractor side, Huffman Paint is
l Kerry Jones assists a customer with a brush purchase.
competing with a company-owned store that has gotten very aggressive in the face of the toughening economy. On the consumer side, the store faces competition from two big boxes. Huffman Paint faces this competition head-on with a potent combination of excellent customer service, superior knowledge and consistency of personnel. In fact, the longevity of the store’s personnel is far superior to anyone around. “At our recent contractor event, we added it up,” Kerry reports. “We had 246 years of experience on hand. It was the six regular employees as well as one of our former employees, who had retired but had come back to help with the event.” Each of these employees is an asset to the store, including: • Jerry Stone, who has been with the company for 43 years. Kerry calls Jerry “our first computer,” since he has such a great mind and great recall of
everything in the store. “This is the only job he’s had outside of serving in the military,” Kerry reports. “He has a loyal following of customers and is very talented with color matching.” • Steve Beshears, who joined the business 30-plus years ago also has a loyal following and is great at color matching,” Kerry says. “He also does a lot of maintenance-type things and is working on getting us up to speed on the Internet, with our website and social media like Facebook.” • Robert Lee, Ven Huffman’s stepson, who worked at the store periodically during the 1970s and came on full-time in the mid-1980s. “He works on the sales floor and is our first line of service in greeting customers,” Kerry reports. • Terry Patterson, also works with customers. According to Kerry, “He’s worked at our store for at least 15 years as well as at other stores for another 15 years, for a total of more than 30-plus P D R August 2011
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years in the paint industry.” • Lora Cromer, who has been with the store for more than 25 years. “She is our secretary and also does all the design work, assists customers with color selections and works with wallcoverings,” Kerry explains. And then, of course, there is Kerry himself, who has worked in the store since childhood. Having employees such as this has helped the store forge long-lasting bonds with their customers. “We have customers who come into the store and want me and only me to wait on them,” Kerry says. “Then there are other customers who have a bond with one of the other guys and want him and only him to wait on them.” This is a definite advantage over competing stores, where employee turnover doesn’t allow for such allegiances to form. Kerry is very aware that retaining good employees is one of the keys to success for an independent retailer, and he is grateful that he has employees who have been with him for so many years. “We are extremely blessed to have such great employee retention,” he says. “I know that keeping good employees is a real challenge for a lot of retailers, and we’re extremely lucky to not have that problem.” A good compensation package, including good benefits, has been an important component of keeping employees. A good working environment also is key. “We work very hard to keep employees,” Kerry says. “We treat everyone well, and we try to maintain a family atmosphere.”
A Future Generation As part of Kerry’s desire to keep his independent paint store going for years to come, he is pleased to see that his son, Adam, has an interest in working in the family business. Adam was the recent recipient of the 2011 PDRA Scholarship, generously sponsored by the National Hardware Show®. Father and son made the trek to Las Vegas in May to receive the scholarship at a special presentation at the 48
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l Lora Cromer assists customers with color selections.
l Jerry Stone, left, and Terry Patterson, right, assist customers.
Las Vegas Convention Center. With the $5,000 scholarship money in hand, Adam is making preparations to attend the University of North Carolina in Charlotte this fall. At this point, his plan is to major in business with an emphasis in marketing. Upon graduation, Adam is expecting to join the family business full-time. Like his father, he got his start from the ground up. “Similar to me, he started out by sweeping the floors and stocking the soda machines,” Kerry reports. Kerry acknowledged that the last
years have been challenging times for independent retailers, due to the economy, but he is still optimistic regarding the future of his business. “Some days are tough, where we spend all our time just putting out fires,” Kerry says. “Then, we have other days, where people drive from other cities to shop at our store. They don’t live in our town, but they know who we are and will travel a pretty far distance to see us. That’s a bright spot for us. That’s what keeps us going. That’s why we keep doing what we’re doing.” n