2010 Retailer of the Year Nominee Committed to recognizing and rewarding the contributions of home furnishings businesses dedicated to building industry excellence, the Western Retailer of the Year Award is the home furnishings industry’s highest honor. The following stories are about four exceptional retail operations that were 2010 Western Retailer of the Year award nominees. ~ Melissa Dressler
“T
B
AKER ROS.
reat people right and sleep good tonight,” has always been the slogan of Baker Brothers’ owner Bob Baker. In 1969, Bob and his brother Odell opened Baker Brothers Furniture in an old, 1930s auto dealership located in Watsonville, CA. For the last 40 years, the business has been family-owned and operated by the third generation of Bakers, David, his wife Debbie and their son Justin. Along with Bob’s original slogan, Baker Brothers has also adopted the tagline, “If you see it in our store, we can deliver it today or tomorrow — have it now, we make it easy!” since they have a large inventory of products always on hand. Over the last 40 years, the business has thrived and survived through numerous economies, natural disasters and major remodeling projects. In 1989, the town of Watsonville and Baker Brothers, experienced the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which damaged the original Baker Brothers location. The entire building had to be retro-fitted for earthquakes and received structural upgrades. While they were fixing their own building, Baker Brothers also reached out to their local community that was greatly affected by the earthquake. They worked closely with the Red Cross to supply appliances to people that were in need. In 1990, Baker Brothers partnered again with the local Red Cross after floods hit the Pajaro Valley. The store provided appliances and furniture to those in need. The new millennium also meant a new store for Baker Brothers. In 2004, David began to plan a major renovation project to the Baker Brothers showroom. “We consulted several designers and finally chose a Brand Source designer from Atlanta,” he said. “The designer worked to improve the interior and exterior of the building, while still preserving architectural features that make the building unique to its original era and the town of Watsonville. The designer also created a plan to improve the environmental efficiency of the structure.” While Baker Brothers is a family-owned business, they would not be as successful as they are today without the dedication and support from many of their long-time employees. Frank Paiva provides professional customer service in his native language, Portuguese, as well as in English and Spanish. He is responsible for arranging the furniture sales floor and has been with the company for 32 years. Another long-time employee is Rosalio Flores who has been with Baker Brothers for 19 years and gives customers top-notch furniture delivery and appliance installation. Baker Brothers and its employees are very involved in the local community by providing support to organizations such as Girl Scouts, American Red Cross, The Rotary Club, Make-A-Wish Foundation and many local schools and community organizations. In 2006, the business was awarded The Business of the Year Award by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce. Baker Brothers has their sights set on future expansion once the economic climate shifts. These plans include creating a Sleep Source store within the Baker Brothers location, and expanding into other categories such as TV and entertainment. Baker Brothers was nominated for the 2010 Western Retailer of the Year award due to their continuous effort to treat their customers and employees right and their contributions to the local community.
Contact WHFA at www.WHFA.org or (800) 422-3778.
western retailer
JUne/July 2010
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