RETAILING Old name, new start

Inside the reopened Finger Furniture store is a wall illustration of a lemon tree and the words “When life hands you lemons.” A lemonade stand will soon be installed.

A year ago, Rodney Finger may have had a sour taste in his mouth after he found himself out of the furniture business. His family had owned Finger Furniture for more than 80 years, and in recent years they also owned the local license for Ashley Furniture HomeStores.

Debt problems forced Rodney Finger out of the furniture business, but now he is back with his remodeled store on the Gulf Freeway.

Asked why he returned to the business, he said: “It's the only thing I've ever done. It's my family's history and legacy. It's what I'm passionate about and what I love.”

The remodeled Finger store, which had been ravaged by Hurricane Ike, has a different look. The front lobby previously resembled a car dealership, Finger said, with sales associates standing behind a big desk. The new lobby has an aquarium, complete with electric blue lobsters and a flagstone brick wall, and is meant to feel like a den, he said.

The huge showroom is 200,000 square feet. Finger offers more contemporary furniture than it did in the past, while still selling traditional lines. The store will continue to carry recliners, entertainment centers and Sealy mattresses.

Price points will range from promotional to lower-high-end, Finger said.

There is also a store within a store called Urban Leather, owned by Tracy Weeks. Urban Leather is a custom leather upholstery business that will design leather furniture to a customer's specifications, Finger said.

The store, which launched its soft opening last week, currently has reduced hours and is open Friday through Monday only. Starting March 19, Finger will keep regular business hours.

‘Debt killed us'
Reflecting on his former Finger business, Rodney Finger said: “Debt killed us. My dad started an aggressive growth campaign in 2005. He and I began expanding our store base and built an expensive new distribution center.” Soon after, Finger signed an agreement to be the local licensee for Ashley. Finger took on a huge amount of debt, he said.

If the economy hadn't faltered, “we would have probably been OK,” he said, but Finger Furniture couldn't survive the credit crisis and recession.

“I had an obligation to our stakeholders and to Ashley to sell Finger's assets,” he said. Selling the Ashley franchise reduced his debt by 90 percent, he said.

He signed a six-month noncompete agreement with Ashley, Finger said.

Finger has 30 employees and plans to hire 20 more by the end of June.

In March of last year, Finger gave up its Houston-area Ashley Furniture HomeStore franchise to Hill Country Furniture Partners, owners of Ashley stores in Austin, San Antonio and other cities. There are six Houston-area Ashley stores.

In August the year before, Finger Furniture announced that it was transforming two of its Finger stores into Ashley stores and closing the remaining four Finger stores.

Dates back to 1927
Finger Furniture was founded by Sam Finger in 1927. His son S.P. “Sammy” Finger was known in the furniture industry as a pioneer. Robert “Bobby” Finger took over in 1989. After his death in 2007, Rodney Finger became CEO.

In the final days of the former Finger Furniture, the company was in a crisis, and there were delays in getting merchandise to customers, Finger said, but everyone eventually received their furniture or a refund.

The new Finger Furniture operates under the legal name Finco Inc. The company is funded by Rodney Finger's own money and a private lender, he said.

No debt, lower costs
Finger said he is optimistic about his new business because he has no debt and a lower cost structure. For example, having a showroom, clearance center and warehouse in one spot saves money by cutting down on transportation costs, he said.

“I think the Finger family was encouraged by their friends and suppliers in the industry who wanted them to come back,” said Jerry Epperson, a columnist for Furniture Today, an industry trade publication. Finger has a “wonderful reputation,” he said.

The Gulf Freeway location has always been a good performer for Finger, and “contracting to your best location is wise, especially in this economy,” Epperson said.

Finger said it is possible he will open more stores.

Gallery Furniture owner Jim McIngvale said, “We always welcome more competitors in the market, as long as they take care of their customers, and we certainly welcome them.”

A storied location
Finger Furniture is built on the site of Buff Stadium, home of Houston's former minor league franchise.

Inside the store is the Houston Sports Museum, which pays tribute to the Buffs as well as the Colt .45s, Astros, Oilers and other teams. On the floor of the museum is Buff Stadium's home plate at its rightful spot.

Finger has thousands of items that will be rotated, including Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean's mitt and cleats, and memorabilia from the Houston Wanderers, another minor league baseball team.