South Florida Standout: Miller's Fine Decorative Hardware

Miller’s Fine Decorative Hardware showrooms could be best described as “innovative, helpful, knowledgeable, competitive and, most importantly, friendly,” says Vicki Pfeil, Miller’s president and owner. Vicki believes this is exactly how her clients view her showrooms. This positive client perception didn’t emerge out of thin air. Every day Vicki and her team bolster and reinforce Miller’s focus on positive customer experiences through an unparalleled selection of products, attentive customer service and extensive decorative plumbing expertise. A year ago, Miller’s opened a second location in West Palm Beach, Florida. The company’s flagship showroom in nearby Jupiter is pushing its 23rd year and continues to be a destination of choice for Vicki’s discerning clientele.

“Our business model, the way we go to market and being the only DPH showroom of this caliber north of Boca Raton made us, and continues to make us, the ‘go to’ for the products we offer,” points out Vicki. “After I purchased the business in 1994, we began advertising in local and statewide magazines. For the first five years, we maintained a healthy growth based solely on word-ofmouth and phone book advertising.”

Vicki developed her business

South Florida Standout: Miller’s Fine Decorative Hardware

using her instincts and wits, in addition to the knowledge of decorative plumbing.

Starting as an assistant at a plumbing supply house in Sarasota, she worked her way up to a showroom manager for Sid Miller, Miller’s previous showroom owner who eventually sold her the Jupiter store. Miller opened it in October 1989 as an extension of his original Florida showroom based in Ft. Lauderdale. “I was hired shortly before that and purchased the business five years later,” relates Vicki. “The date of purchase came exactly on the fifth anniversary of the Jupiter showroom’s grand opening. Showroom ownership was actually something I thought I had no desire to do.

Because I was dealing with all of the day-to-day work and bringing in many of the clients, I asked Sid for a share in the showroom profits as a bonus. He offered to sell the business to me instead. After a year of contemplation, I bought it.”

Fast-forward 18 years, and Vicki is deeply and passionately involved in her business. Looking up to an enthusiastic and energetic boss, Vicki’s team doesn’t let her down. “I believe that we each have the responsibility to motivate ourselves,” relates Vicki. “But in relation to our staff, I prefer to think in terms of inspiring rather than motivating. I cannot force 9

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Miller’s Jupiter Showroom

anyone to feel or want—all I can do is to inspire staff to be the best they can be and create an atmosphere that supports their success, and helps them have fun in the process.”

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Phantom from The Furniture Guild's Nuvo collection Miller’s West Palm Beach

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Staff’s responsibility to keep both stores at the cuttingedge of everything is large.

The only way for them to succeed is to constantly grow their knowledge of decorative plumbing fixtures, door and cabinet Vicki Pfeil hardware, tile, lighting, medicine cabinets and bathroom furniture—the main product categories sold in Miller’s showrooms. The product variety and selection are a persistent focus of Vicki’s efforts.

Her product-mix guidelines change over time, but she is relentless in her search for exclusive products.

“Today we make our selections based on the manufacturer’s or distributor’s reputation and representation,” shares Vicki. “We check

if others in our marketing area sell the same line and how it is sold. But first and foremost, we approach the selection process with our clients’ desires in mind and consciously seek to carry products that you will not see everywhere else.”

support and, of course, a vehicle to help increase profits for those of us that don’t necessarily have the buying power of national chains and big-box stores.”

This brings Miller’s membership in Forte to the first line of importance. “I attended the first Forte meeting before it was officially Forte,” recalls Vicki.

“I believe in this industry and also the small dealer showrooms like myself. I saw Forte as a great resource for networking, camaraderie,

In addition to the involvement with Forte, taking the Miller’s brand outside of the showroom has been an important approach to the company’s success and expansion. Vicki and her team are proactively reaching out to the communities and tradesmen that appreciate their services. Miller’s supports two local charities— Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and Big Dog Ranch Rescue—by organizing two annual fundraisers in its showrooms.

It offers CEU (continuing education unit) courses for de-

But even when every factor is counted in, product decisions don’t come easy. Every time, “the process of adding the product depends on how magnificent the addition will be to our mix and how much I am willing to invest versus what the vendor is willing to invest in Miller’s,” says Vicki.

In discovering new products, she relies on manufacturer representatives and sales managers, attending KBIS, DPHA and Forte conferences, new member announcements from the industry groups that Miller’s belongs to, and industry networking.

Waterworks display in Miller’s West Palm Beach showroom

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Now Miller’s not only enjoys the buying power that comes with belonging to Forte, but also benefits from the group’s efforts to promote healthier, margin-saving sales in the era of ubiquitous Internet discounts. “Forte is a group full of wonderful people, and it continues to help Miller’s earn revenue that we wouldn’t have been able to earn otherwise,” relates Vicki. “I have also been lucky to have met many friends in Forte and find the relationships invaluable in this industry.

With the rapid growth of ecommerce and other obstacles this industry faces, Forte has become more than just a buying group to us.”

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signers and architects in its market, and hosts vendor cocktail parties and afterhours events for clients and partners. The showroom sales staff is also very active in the marketing and outreach process, making regular outside calls and being of assistance to Miller’s customers.

“Another approach that we’ve taken—and we did so knowing that our competitors have not—was hiring and securing the help of a marketing and communications firm to work both with us and for us,” explains Vicki. “Since making that decision several years ago, we’ve received continual praise for our leading designs and marketing efforts with regards to the Miller’s Fine Decorative Hardware brand. I have actively spearheaded this strategic decision in an effort to continually evolve and push our business to the front in our industry and operating region.”

Complementing this and other efforts to make Miller’s an important player in decorative plumbing is the company’s bright outlook for the future and its ability to welcome change. “While technology and products change continuously, I have always maintained that superior customer care and a personal touch only a family business can give will withstand the test of time, regardless of how people shop,” wrote Vicki in one of Miller’s

newsletters. “The more things change, the more they do stay the same. Exceptional customer care will never go out of style—especially here at Miller’s.”

As the future unfolds, Vicki and her staff will remain focused on making their showrooms the go-to source in decorative plumbing and hardware from Boca Raton to Vero Beach. “With this kind of strategic focus,” assures Vicki, “I am excited about where I see the business heading in the next five years.”

Stone Forest Renaissance console with brass trim, Miller’s West Palm Beach

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