Rich's for the Home

Rich’s Has a Rich 32-Year History

“In 1979, Larry Chapman was an executive with Sears Roebuck in Los Angeles when he decided to move his family to the Seattle area and enter the real estate business which, at the time, was booming.”

The cover story in the March 2011 issue of Hearth & Home* magazine features Rich’s, and includes the story about how Rich’s came to be. We thought you’d enjoy reading excerpts from Bill Sendelback’s fantastic feature, “Finding a Way”:

“Just when the family was settled in Seattle, the real estate boom was over and Chapman was looking for another job.

‘Larry, have I got a business for you!’ said Chapman’s sister, Ann. That business was selling wood stoves, then a skyrocketing market but something about which the Larry and Marianne Chapman (pictured, right) knew next to nothing.

Two months later they were dealers for Orley Wood Stoves, a now-defunct Oregon manufacturer of a unique cylindrical, ornate wood stove.

‘We didn’t sell much that first year,’ remembers Larry, ‘but we learned a lot, and boy, did we have fun.’

It all started with that first 2,000 sq. ft. showroom in Lynnwood, Washington, that has now grown into five stores surrounding the Seattle-Tacoma market and totals 72,000 sq. ft. of showrooms.

What began with just one brand of wood stoves has now grown into

• Barbecue grills and accessories
• Patio furniture
• Outdoor rooms
• Spas and hot tubs
• A complete selection of hearth products

Larry Chapman and his wife, Marianne, still run the show at Rich’s. Their son, Jon Chapman, is in charge of corporate operations and daughter Jennifer Parrick plans the yearly redesign of product displays in all the stores.

Above: Jon Chapman, operations manager; Jim Van Normal, general
manager, and Dennis DeMartini, sales manager.

The article concludes:

“The folks at Rich’s are reluctant to toot their own horn about their success. But Perry Ranes, director of sales for Travis Industries (manufacturer of Lopi, Avalon, and Fireplace Xtrordinair hearth products), sees many other things that will continue to make Rich’s successful and profitable.

‘Rich’s focuses on the little things – clean windows, restrooms and parking lots. Their stores have a high-end feeling. They reach out to capture customers and are not afraid to do research and try something new. When their competitors are standing around, Rich’s finds ways to move ahead.’”

Fast Facts About Rich’s

Showrooms:

• Lynnwood (flagship store and company headquarters): 22,000 sq. ft.
• Bellevue: 15,000 sq. ft
• Tacoma: 15,000 sq. ft.
• Tukwila/Southcenter: 15,000 sq. ft
• Silverdale: 5,000 sq. ft

Number of employees: 65

Product Lines

Hearth:

• Avalon
• Fireplace Xtrordinair
• HearthStone
• Lopi
• Monessen
• Morso

Barbecue:

• Big Green Egg
• Broilmaster
• Twin Eagles
• Vermont Castings
• Weber

Patio:

• Agio
• Cast Classics
• Ebel
• Hanamint
• Homecrest
• Jensen Leisure
• Lloyd/Flanders
• North Cape
• OW Lee
• Patio Renaissance
• Treasure Garden
• Tropitone
• Woodard

Spas/Hot Tubs

• Clearwater Spas

 

*Hearth & Home is the leading trade journal serving the hearth, barbecue and patio furnishings industries.

More About Rich's in Hearth & Home Magazine

• How sales revenues at Rich's grew by 25% during a down economy

Visit Rich's

Visit any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale.

Subscribe to Rich’s blog

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  ‘Like’ Rich’s on Facebook

We also provide daily tips and Internet-only specials on our Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.

Rich’s Featured in Hearth & Home Magazine

Rich’s has the honor of being the featured cover story in Hearth & Home’s March 2011 issue. Hearth & Home is the leading trade journal serving the hearth, barbecue and patio furnishings industries.

“Finding a Way,” by Bill Sendelback, notes that, unlike many retailers who have cut back during the recession, Rich’s instituted an aggressive marketing plan. And it worked!

Here are some excerpts from the 5-page article:

Rich’s “ended 2009 with revenues equal to the prior year. In 2010, management became even more aggressive, and closed out the year with a 25 percent increase in sales.”

• Patio furniture and Outdoor Room items were up 40 percent.
• Grills and spas were each up 35 percent.
• Hearth products were up 10 percent.

“We took the position that we were going to keep the barn full,” says operations manager Jon Chapman. “We put ourselves in a position where we could get product to the customer by the following week, at the latest. We ran promotions on patio items in which we promised to deliver within three days; we maintain an average inventory of $4 million to $5 million” (in our five Puget Sound stores).

Rich’s formula for success?

• Professional merchandising
• Stunning showrooms and product displays
• Stellar customer service (Rich's has an A+ Rating with the BBB)

Product Displays

Co-owner Marianne Chapman and her daughter, Jennifer Parrick, redesign each showroom annually. “After selecting the new outdoor lineup at the Causal Furnishings Market in Chicago, Jennifer spends hours thinking through how to best merchandise and design Rich’s five showrooms.”

The focus is on designing realistic displays that help customers visualize how the items will look in their homes.

Hearth Products

The flagship Lynnwood store has 60 burning models of hearth products on display and even Rich’s smallest store in Silverdale has 20 burning models.

Grills & Spas

Grills are showcased in porticos or in outside display areas, and every store has two to five working Clearwater Spas on display, and private areas where customers can take a free wet test.

Delivery & Installation

Rich’s uses a combination of its own delivery and installation crews as well as independent contractors who work primarily for Rich’s.  “We install, frame in, do the brick or stone work and whatever else it takes in the home,” says Jim Van Norman, general manager.

Rich’s brings their high-quality product lines to the public’s attention through aggressive advertising. In 2011, their entire advertising budget will be devoted to television commercials and internet marketing.

“Our products are ‘show me’ products, and the only way to really show them is with TV or the Internet,” says sales manager, Dennis DeMartini.

Show Me!

We’d love to show you our products. Stop by any of our five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale. Feel free to replicate our displays in your home!

Subscribe to Rich’s blog

Subscribe to our blog via your feed reader or receive our latest posts in your e-mail Inbox. Simply click “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” or fill out the form located in the right-hand sidebar of our blog.

  ‘Like’ Rich’s on Facebook

We also provide daily tips and Internet-only specials on our Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.

Bob Krull Says Rich's Salespeople Go 'Above and Beyond'

“One of the first things I look for before making a major purchase is a company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau,” says Bob Krull, of Granite Falls, WA.

And Rich’s has an A+ rating with the BBB, the organization’s highest rating.   

Not only that, but Rich’s is a BBB Accredited Business, a coveted honor earned by meeting and maintaining the BBB’s high standards. 

All BBB accredited businesses agree to live up to their Standards for Trust, a comprehensive set of policies, procedures and best practices focused on how businesses should treat the public – fairly and honestly in all circumstances.

Bob Krull, BBB Arbitrator Extraordinaire

Bob Krull knows a thing or two about the Better Business Bureau. In addition to being a loyal Rich’s customer (he’s purchased three hot tubs, a wood stove, fireplace insert, and patio furniture), Bob has served as a volunteer arbitrator for the BBB since 1975. Over the past 35+ years, Bob has mediated hundreds of disputes between businesses and customers. In 1990 he was awarded the national Arbitrator of the Year, and he has also received a volunteer of the year award from the local BBB.

Bob recalls one case in which a woman bought a hot tub from Rich’s and had it installed at her vacation cabin, which she used only on weekends. Her complaint:

I turn up on the heat on my spa when I arrive at my cabin. But by the time the hot tub heats up, it’s time to go home. Why buy a hot tub if I’m not able to use it?

Rich’s offered a solution to her problem: they volunteered to put a timer on her spa, and they traveled to her cabin and installed the timer at no cost to the customer.

“An unhappy customer instantly became a happy customer,” says Bob.

That’s how a company like Rich’s earns an A+ rating, he adds. “They listen to their customers. They understand the problem and come up with a fix. They go above and beyond.”

Bob has been particularly impressed by “the personal touch” he and his wife, Ella, receive from Rich’s sales consultant, Philip Buchanan.  When Ella was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Philip sent her a card.

“He’s exceedingly nice,” says Bob. “He calls every two-to-three months, just to check in. How many businesses these days do that?”

Bob confesses that he’s a big “sale” shopper, saying, “I try not to pay full price, so I’m on the lookout for sales.” And Rich’s has some good sales. “I ask Philip to call me when an item I’m looking for goes on sale. And he does! It’s nice to have my own salesperson.”