50th Anniversary of Brumbaugh's

BRUMBAUGH’S FINE HOME FURNISHINGS

By Dana Joseph ECADES AGO WHEN LARRY BRUMBAUGH WAS

deciding what he was going to do with his life, there was no way it was going to be somewhere other than his hometown. And it wasn’t going to be something other than home furnishings. Today, after 50 years in the business, Larry Brumbaugh and Brumbaugh’s Fine Home Furnishings are Fort Worth, Texas, institutions. 

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Businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and self-effacing hobbyist artist (“I throw my drawings in a drawer where nobody can see them”), Brumbaugh learned cattle trading from his granddad. He learned brand inspection on a first job with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He learned logistics as a supply sergeant for eight years in the Marines at Camp Pendleton. But it was on an early job as a “gofer” in a

PHOTOGRAPHY: (ALL PHOTOS) COURTESY BRUMBAUGH’S FINE HOME FURNISHINGS

T H ROUGHOU T T H E L A S T 5 0 Y E A R S , BRU M BAUGH ’ S H A S BU I LT I T S LE GAC Y ON T WO T H I NG S : F U R N I T U R E A N D FA M I LY.

furniture store that he learned how to take care of customers.

All these decades later, it’s that people part of the business that keeps him interested. “It’s exciting dealing with customers and employees,” Brumbaugh says. “I’ve always liked to visit with people — to find out where they’re from and what they do, get acquainted and know who they are. Knowing the customers goes with the flow of being in the furniture business. You get interesting folks and get a feel for them as people. It’s definitely an individual, one-on-one deal. We get good insight.”

And customers get good quality. “This is top-of-the-ladder stuff with real longevity,” Brumbaugh says. “These things are meant to last a good long while. A lot of the items are one-of-a-kind and very unique. Quality is number one, and I’d say 99 percent is USA-made.”

First family of Fort Worth, Texas, home furnishings: Larry Brumbaugh and wife Sally (with Jack Russell terrier Cyrus) with their daughter, Elizabeth Brumbaugh-Quirk, and her husband, Todd Quirk.

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All In The (Furnishings) Family ELI Z A BE T H BRU M BAUGH- QU I R K , T H E SEC ON D GE N ER AT ION OF T H E FORT WORT H, T E X A S – BA SED F U R N ISH I NGS IC ON, F I N D S H ER CA LLI NG A N D C ON T I N U E S A 50 -Y E A R- OLD FA M I LY LEGAC Y W IT H H ER OW N F U R N IT U R E LI N E .

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Brumbaugh’s “Texas to Tuscan” sense of style — a refined rustic “Western chic” — goes well in everything from ranches to regular homes. Whether it’s a leather or leather-combination sofa (“We’re strong on leather; most of our business is around the leather area — combinations thereof ”), accessories, a handwoven rug, or a signed giclée, it’s all gleaned from what he personally likes, what’s trending, and what customers want. These days, there’s also input from the next generation, Larry’s daughter Elizabeth.

But however on-trend a piece might be, it’s got to pass the Larry test. “I first look for quality,” he reiterates. “Then I try out every sofa and chair and recliner — how it sits, how it operates. I definitely sit in everything we purchase to make sure everything is copacetic for the customer.”

Having everything in excellent order for the customer isn’t just the former Marine talking. It’s the businessman who believes that “quality and honesty are the only way to go.” That 

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philosophy hasn’t changed over the years. What has? “The first location was 8,000 square feet and cheap rent. Now it’s up to 50,000 square feet in a building on the west side of Fort Worth, Texas. At first it was just me; now I have 10 employees. The furniture industry is different now, too. Today, you mix and match — you don’t go all maple, for instance. The variety gives you a very personal look and reflects your individuality.”

And that individuality, for Brumbaugh, is what really makes a house a home. “The furnishings inside the home are the big key.

You can walk into an empty house and visualize what would look good and fit. You might imagine the family comfortably gathered around the TV set in the evening, or maybe company coming over. Where everyone gathers is the focus. As you add to your furniture stylings, you create your own domain.”

If you pay a visit to Brumbaugh’s domain, you’re bound to meet the man in charge — maybe in his favorite spot at the center of the store, where his desk is command central and he can see everything

and everyone. “I’m on the job here six days a week taking care of customers,” he says. “I’m here — not on the golf course or out doing this or that. I’m here to make the quick decision. I’m entrenched.”

After hours, in his other domain, you’re likely to find him entrenched in the special recliner he shares with his Jack Russell terrier, Cyrus. Because when it comes to furniture and dogs, Brumbaugh is a “definitely on” kind of guy: “They are members of the family.”

And at Brumbaugh’s, furniture is all about family.

Visit Brumbaugh’s Fine Home Furnishings at www. brumbaughs.com.

rowing up, Elizabeth Brumbaugh-Quirk went to school every morning in Fort Worth, Texas, with her lunchbox packed with hand-drawn pictures of everything from an intricately sketched horse to a longhorn. “I would always have the best pictures at school,” recalls Brumbaugh-Quirk, daughter of furniture mogul Larry Brumbaugh, founder of Fort Worthbased company Brumbaugh’s Fine Home Furnishings. “My mom would write me a note and then say, ‘OK, Larry, draw her something today.’ I’m nowhere near the artistic level my dad is. He’s always done his own designs and is such an inspiration.”

It’s hardly surprising that her dad’s creative bent and business example ultimately ended up influencing her career path. “When I was a little kid, I loved going to the store with Dad,” Brumbaugh-Quirk says. “If he took me to school, it usually meant going back to the furniture store after and divvying up sales tags and answering the phones, but that didn’t last very long.”

In college, she was hired to work on the company’s social media presence, marketing, and commercials. Though she’d always pitched in, Brumbaugh-Quirk didn’t think she’d end up working for the family business. A graduate of Texas A&M University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance, she instead thought she’d pursue a career in the oil and gas industry. But after doing an internship for British Petroleum, she joined the family business. That was three years ago, and BrumbaughQuirk’s already debuted a 20-piece line, The Elizabeth Collection, featuring everything from reclaimed side tables to sofas to barstools.

Even when she’s creating, though, she’s also analyzing. “My instinct goes to questions like, What’s my price point? Who’s my audience?

Who’s my target market? I think it’s important to understand the economics behind every single one of your pieces.”

Exactly what you love in a piece of furniture: beauty and brains.

C&I caught up with Brumbaugh-Quirk to learn about the inspiration for her line, her favorite pieces, and what’s next for the next generation of Brumbaugh’s.

Cowboys & Indians: What’s the idea behind The Elizabeth Collection?

Elizabeth Brumbaugh-Quirk: [Brumbaugh’s] started in 1966, and we are still here. And now, it’s about making that known to a younger generation. Even though I’ve officially been onboard with the company for three years, I’ve been going to market and been in the business a lot COWB OYS & I NDI ANS

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longer than that. It kind of started when Dad would say, “Why don’t you design a recliner?” I designed one in a robin’s-egg blue, and we sold through 16 of them, and it branched out from there. It’s kind of interesting who will call, or who will notice it. Even an older generation customer will come in or call and say, “Can you tell me about this chair?” The Brocade Olan chair is high-fashion, made with a light blue crocodile embossed leather and accented with brocade upholstery. When we ran it first, people were awestruck. I love the antique frame, and it’s having a further reach than what I thought it would. [With pieces like that] we’re rebranding Brumbaugh’s to say, We can do anything for you, and what you may have thought of us, now we are so much more.

C&I: How do your pieces differ from other Brumbaugh’s designs?

Brumbaugh-Quirk: It kind of bridges a more transitional feel. We have more fabric-leather combos, smaller in frame, and we’re really targeting the millennials. A 15-foot sectional is great, but I’m just trying to target a younger generation and offer the same type of scale for pieces to put in a loft or new condo that they just bought in Houston.

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C&I: What are your favorite items from your collection?

Brumbaugh-Quirk: I really like the industrial-style Bar Beam Table, made from steel and a 150-year-old handhewn beam from an Amish barn in North Carolina. The Argonaut Sofa is super-transitional with nailhead trim, and if you want to do cowhide, that’s an option, too. It’s all completely customizable, too. This is a great frame to be able to fit in a loft or apartment or condo. I also love the Essex Barstool and the Appliqué Leather Barstool. I also like the Teal Tibetan Occasional Chair; it adds a nice pop of color.

C&I: Any new items for this year?

Brumbaugh-Quirk: Yes, there were a few introductions in the spring with new fabric-and-leather combos, and four new pieces launched, so by late spring we had 14 to 16 total new pieces.

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C&I: Do you think you’ve found your calling in the family business?

Brumbaugh-Quirk: This is where I was meant to be and what I was meant to do. If not, I’m sure I’d still be working in the oil and gas industry or working in Houston.

Even if I didn’t have my own line, I’d be so happy to just be here and be a part of the legacy of Brumbaugh’s.

It’s gratifying being part of something that’s bigger than yourself. This all wouldn’t be possible if my parents hadn’t started the company. My dad is such an inspiration. Doing anything for 50 years is pretty incredible.

— Jennie Nunn COWB OYS & I NDI ANS

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