Since 2002, Furniture Promotions has moved in and out of Lynchburg, Warrenton, Leesburg and Sterling. Now the store is calling Charlottesville its home, at least through the summer.
The furniture store, whose business strategy involves temporary moves into empty storefronts, is now filling the space where Goody's Family Clothing Inc. used to be at the Barracks Road Shopping Center. Furniture Promotions opened its doors March 28, and has signed a lease through Aug. 31.
Co-owner Patsy Pike said regular moves help the company keep costs down.
"Furniture requires lots of floor space," Pike said. "We look for temporary locations where you get a reduced rental rate."
Pike and co-owner Beverly Thorburn learned about the Goody's spot through Federal Realty Investment Trust, their former landlord in Leesburg and the owner of the shopping center.
For 15 years, Goody's was stationed in the 25,000-square-foot space. It shut its doors Jan. 31. A spokeswoman for the clothing and housewares chain said the company didn't renew the store's lease because of poor performance.
Vicki Bromble, director of specialty leasing for Federal Realty, said local shoppers might see another store enter that location later this year.
"We are in the process of getting of a permanent tenant to fill the Goody's space," Bromble said.
Pike said regular moves have kept her business healthy, although Furniture Promotions has to overcome some obstacles because of its transient nature.
"At each new location, we have to establish our credibility," Pike said. "We have to show that the furniture is not irregular or of secondary quality."
The business owners personally select furniture from High Point, N.C., and have it shipped to their store every few weeks. Manufacturer warranties apply to all sales, which are final.
National talk of a worsening economy hasn't scared Pike, who said she feels Virginia is "a very healthy state." However, she said Charlottesville is the furthest south Furniture Promotions will be located.
Historically, home stores have gotten a boost during bleak economic times, said Ronald Wilcox, a professor of business administration at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
"During the last economic downtown in the '90s, we observed something called cocooning," Wilcox said. "It means that when people see economic downtowns, they don't go out of the home as often. What typically they will do is buy things for around the house. It could be a Haagen-Dazs to eat at home or furniture."
According to the Commerce Department, retail sales in the United States increased by 0.2 percent in March from February. Sales had decreased by 0.4 in February from January.
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