Swag Home Furnishings To Add Flair, Agility To Moncton’s Retail Furniture Market
MONCTON – Jody Allen’s new furniture store, Swag Home Furnishings and Accessories, is a bid to cater to a market he found wanting in Moncton.
Allen, a Miramichi transplant, owns and is about to launch the independently operated retailer that will soon open its doors to customers at 691 St. George Blvd, offering stylish furniture “at a Home Sense price point.”
Allen said Swag’s mission is to bring stylish, affordable furniture to Greater Moncton “for those who need a solution today and can’t afford to wait three months for a sofa or fixture to arrive.”
Taking a break from whirlwind preparations, Allen told Huddle that when Swag opens at its 7,700-square-foot location near Jones Lake and Centennial Park, he wants to use it to cater to a market for home furnishings that couldn’t meet his own needs as a customer.
“There’s never been a time when a business like this is more needed,” said Allen.
“This business exists because my husband and I bought a second home in Moncton about a year and a half ago – there was nowhere to furnish it.”
Along with the furniture, Swag boasts a gamut of other amenities that a proper home could use – everything from kitchen sinks, bathtubs, vanities and plumbing fixtures, to electrical fixtures lights, barbecues and patio furniture.
“What’s really kind of fascinating about this business model is we’re not even exactly sure what we’re getting until we get it,” said Allen of how he sources his merchandise.
“We don’t order pieces – we’re basically a kind of cash-carry home furnishing solution. For example, if you walk in and like this blue sofa, this is the one you take,” he explained.
That business model puts Swag in a strong position in the local market. Allen noted that people who’ve been searching months and months for a key piece for their home décor may be able to find it at Swag – and be able to take it home the same day.
Meanwhile, Allen said a diverse inventory will entice a broader base of customers to Swag’s showroom floor.
“We won’t be impacted (by the pandemic) as much as a company that solely relies on one revenue stream,” he said.
Swag sources its merchandise from predominantly Canadian suppliers. This eventually will change, Allen noted, citing plans to look to other parts of North America.
Swag’s agile business model and reliance on domestic suppliers couldn’t come at a better time.
Pandemic-related impacts – including port closures due to Covid-19 outbreaks leaving scores of cargo ships waiting in the lurch, spiking shipping costs and truck driver shortages – have crippled global supply chains and caused lengthy shipping and transit delays for businesses with international suppliers.
When asked about another potential pandemic pitfall, the stress and pressure of launching a business in the middle of a pandemic, Allen said, “I think opening a business in the best of times is stressful. Opening in the middle of a pandemic has probably tripled that stress.”
Although at the time of writing he and his staff had a lot of work to do ahead of Swag’s opening, Allen alluded to a potential second Swag location opening in another part of Atlantic Canada – but was mum on the details.
Allen noted he wants to at least spend a year in operation in Moncton, before disclosing any details on future Swag locations.
“In a former life of mine, I was responsible for a chain, so I’m familiar with researching markets and where it makes the most sense to expand,” he added.
Initially, Allen said he wanted a more modest 3,000-square-foot location, but the more research he did, the more he realized he’d need something larger, needing a loading door and other features that allow for furniture sales.
“When we walked into this space – I cannot describe to you what it was. It was just a white, open space from the sixties,” he said.
“It was a lot of time, energy and effort and love that went into bringing it to this.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
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