As I assist churches across the country with their church furnishing needs, I consistently find a need or “niche” for mid-market product lines. For lounge and reception furniture, I find I’m advancing Office Chairs Inc. in an increasing manner these days as such a solution. Here’s why:
Office Chairs Inc. was founded about four decades ago. From the beginning, their goal was to manufacturer quality products of great value with low lead times. Over those decades,their business has grown and they now have over 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Santa Fe Springs, CA. And like all Church Furniture Guy endorsed manufacturers, they stand behind all their products with the goal of 100% customer satisfaction.
Office Chair Inc.’s product line consists of Executive, Conference, Task, Reception, Guest and Soft Seating. They have relationships with some of leading fabric manufacturers such as Momentum Textiles, C.F. Stinson, and Culp . These relationships result in some of the shortest lead times in the industry for custom upholstered seating.
For today’s churches, Office Chair Inc. has positioned itself well as a mid-market manufacturer. Their entire line is available at great savings to churches through Save Your Church Money. Please be sure and contact SYCM for all of your church seating needs.
As I assist churches across the country with their church furnishing needs, I often share with them my “Four Categories of Church Furniture” theory. While there are exceptions to every theory, I have found this one rings true across the church furnishings spectrum. Here’s a capsulized version of what I share with churches.
Churches will inevitably purchase one of four categories or “levels” of furnishings. Most of the time, the primary determiner of which level they will purchase is budget. Churches need to be good stewards of their resources. Overspending for church furniture is NOT good stewardship. Understanding the different levels of church furnishings can assist the practice of good stewardship.
- Church Furniture Category #1 is JUNK! I know “Junk” is not a very sophisticated term, but it accurately describes a level of church furnishings unfortunately. There’s a lot of furniture on the market that simply does not belong in any sort of church/commercial setting. But as stated above, low pricing can be especially attractive to churches. While I cannot list here all the church furniture that I place in this first category, I’m always glad to entertain your questions about what you’re considering. Just contact me with your questions.
- Church Furniture Category #2 is VALUE! This is the most purchased level of church furniture. By “Value” I mean furniture that is well built, but its construction is pretty basic. Comparably inexpensive materials like steel, poly and wood are used in the manufacturing process. The design and lines of the furnishings are somewhat simple and plain. And the number of options and amount of customization that can be added is minimal.
- Church Furniture Category #3 is Mid-Market! I use the term “Mid-Market” to describe church furniture that does not use high-end exotic construction materials, but offers a substantial ranges of upgrades, options and customization. In addition, the level of styling moves from somewhat simple and basic to classy and stylish. I have identified several mid-market manufacturers over the years that I especially love to tell churches about.
- Church Furniture Category #4 is Design! I use the term “Design” to describe a level of furnishings that only a few churches are able to consider because of cost. With this level you may pay extra because of who the furniture was designed by. Materials that have only recently been invented may be used in the construction which will add to the cost. And almost every fabric or option on the market is available on this level.
Please note that Save Your Church Money takes great satisfaction in being able to generally move churches one step higher in category, for essentially the same dollars you would pay for the next level down. As you consider church furnishings, they are consistently a source for great product at great prices.
The Church Furniture Guy spent yesterday in Chicago at Neocon, the contract furnishings trade show that boasts more than 700 exhibits and showrooms displaying the latest furnishing introductions from around the world at the Merchandise Mart. Neocon is held annually in June, and while I don’t attend every year, each time I do so, I’m always glad I did. The atmosphere is both exciting and amazing. The displays are innovative and appealing. And I always enjoy reconnecting with many friends that I have developed relationships with over the years.
There’s one reason though I attend that overshadows all those above, I love to see first-hand new products that can be used wonderfully in the world of church furniture. I’m always on the lookout for products and values that will benefit churches across the country. This year’s trip to Neocon produced several of both. Over the next few days I’ll share some of those findings with you. I’m looking forward to it!
The Church Furniture Guy enjoyed the opportunity last week to connect with Derrick Jeror of Housetop Media. Derrick is the founder of Housetop Media (their launch took place just a few weeks ago). Housetop Media’s purpose is to help small to medium sized churches and church plants with technology solutions. I was immediately drawn to their extremely efficient business model that allows them to keep their business expenses very low. As a result they can serve churches in ways that other companies cannot, such as by offering free design consulting and system training.
Several years ago we started Save Your Church Money.com with a very similar set of core operating principles. The result has been the opportunity to save churches a tremendous amount of dollars on church furniture that has then been able to be funneled into ministry. As I dialogued with Derrick, and then later read through his entire website, I can easily envision him doing the same for the Kingdom in the years ahead. I’m looking forward to watching Housetop Media’s ministry develop!
