I got the biggest kick out of a call I made to Jimmy Moore at H&M today. One of our forum members out of California was customizing a September Sectional and I had to make a few calls on how this was going to be built. When you REALLY got to know how its going to be done, then a call to Jimmy is in order. He may very well be the smartest and most experienced upholstery maker in the USA - there is nothing that Jimmy doesn't know when it comes to sofas and chairs. He is truly The Source.

So I tell Jimmy what we're looking to do, and in short order he's telling me how he's going to build and engineer this piece using terminology I've never even heard before! in short - he'll take care of it. That was at 4:30 p.m today.

Well, I had to call down to Gloria who runs the office for some pricing info, and Jimmy overheard her talking to me at 5:20 p.m. Well, he'd been thinking about that sectional and had some recommendations on how to make it even better, so he's telling Gloria to tell me - and then Pam, whom I've also been working with on this piece gets involved and before long they are having this very brisk conversation on how to build this sectional the way Jimmy wants to do it AND keep the price from roaring out of control. I merely put the speakerphone on and laughed quietly while the three of them worked it all out....just like being at home at the kitchen table and watching family members work through something.

So many businesses are cold and sterile these days...and so like to say "NO" to things that its great to call H&M and watch everyone there put their heart and soul into every single piece for every single customer. They're the best at H&M, and they do it like nobody else.

Its interesting, this furniture business. I can sell Leathercraft, Bradington-Young or Hancock and Moore at my store to customers. Of my total leather business, I'd say 1 % is Leathercraft, 9 % is Bradington Young, and the remaining 90 % is Hancock and Moore. Why? Probably because I can choose which I like to sell the most, and I choose H&M. Not only for their superior workmanship and product, but because they take an interest in every single order and work hard to make sure every customer's expectations are met if at all possible. One of these days I'm going to set up a trip for the forum members to go to the main plant so everyone here can see what I'm writing about.