Furniture sales drive branch of Howsmon?s Office Interiors

A family-owned business, Howsmon's Office Interiors was started in Joplin in 1963 by the parents of current Chief Ex-ecutive Officer John Howsmon.

The Springfield location at 3045 E. Chestnut Expressway opened in 1999 when Howsmon's bought out the local Steelcase dealer, said Mike Barlow, division manager for the local office. The newer location handles contract office furniture, while the location in Joplin handles contract furniture as well as of-fice supplies.

"I manage the day-to-day activities for the Springfield location," Barlow said.

Barlow also handles most of the sales right now, he said, but added that the company is planning to expand by adding more sales staff.

Installation

While furniture sales account for the largest portion of Howsmon's business, "We also have our own installation de-partment and our own design department," Barlow said.

The installation department handles anything from minor additions to major office overhauls. "We can manage the movement of (clients') existing furniture, and of course, we also install all the furniture we sell."

The Howsmon's design department offers layout work for new offices and provides space planning. "Our design department works closely with the salesperson and the customer to find the customer's needs and designs an office around those needs," Barlow said. "With the rising cost of floor space it is critical to maximize space and still make the office efficient and productive."

Howsmon's handles just about everything related to office design, Barlow said. "We can do anything from the shell of the building carpet, wall coverings like floor-to-ceiling walls to panel systems, direct or indirect lighting, window treatments, artwork, plants, and accessories."

Exclusivity

According to Barlow, the contract furniture business is unique in that some lines are exclusive, with only one dealer in a town, while other lines are open to all dealers. For example, Howsmon's is the exclusive dealer for Steelcase, the world's largest furniture manufacturer, but the company also carries many other lines of products including HON furniture, Milliken carpet, and Powerfloor, a cable-link floor system.

The furniture business has its peaks and valleys, Barlow said. "Right now furniture sales numbers are a little flat throughout Springfield, due to the downturn in the economy and the tragedy in New York. That has caused some people to delay some decision-making."

Some companies, he said, are just waiting to see how the economy will be affected, and some are experiencing layoffs. "So, our numbers are down, but I think that's pretty true of the furniture business in general."

Barlow added that, on the other hand, May, June and July were unpredictably good months for sales. "June was probably the best month we've ever had here," he said. "It definitely hits its peaks and valleys."

Systems furniture

Purchasing furniture and designing an office involves a lot of decisions, he said. "That's especially true in systems furniture, because everybody's system is unique." All systems may use panels, desks and chairs, but there are numerous choices to be made regarding elements such as wiring options and aesthetic value. "There's a lot of decision-making that goes into the process."

According to Barlow, systems furniture, which incorporates panels to divide workspace, is still prevalent in office design. "We still sell a lot of systems furniture, and a lot of desks, chairs and file cabinets," he said. "I think people are looking to be pretty value-sensitive, especially in times like these, with a slower economy and the tragedy that's happened."

It's not all about appearance: ergonomic seating is very popular as companies try to design "the healthy office," Barlow said. "They want to make sure the seating is ergonomically correct, that they're putting people in good chairs."

Personal taste

As far as the details go, in Barlow's view it really comes down to a matter of personal taste. Color is one example. "Burgundy is strong right now, but it's really a personal preference," he said. He added that many companies incorporate their logo into their design, and choose colors to go along with the logo.

Wood finishes, too, are a matter of taste. "We used to see a lot of oak, but we've sold a lot of cherry recently," Barlow said. "We're seeing a lot of cherry and mahogany finishes right now." Some people, however, still request other finishes, such as walnut and oak. Barlow concluded, "You still have people in southwest Missouri that just want a good oak desk."