Every. Single. Year.
Every, single year since they first opened in 2007, Kim’s Furniture has been voted Best Consignment Shop in the Tri-State. The Evansville Courier Readers’ Choice Awards said so.
So, from its conception, Kim’s has been killin’ it.
Well-deserved, Kim’s not only has a vast and unique selection of consignment and new furniture, but also a passionate and knowledgeable staff committed to high-quality service.
Owner Kim Ross was more than happy to tell us all about the business.
What sparked the start of Kim’s Furniture?
“When my husband and I lived in Indianapolis, I worked as an apprentice at an interior design business. I would go to auctions, antique stores, and consignment stores in the city and I absolutely loved it. I caught the “bug” of thrift shopping and going to auctions. When we moved to Evansville, I started working for a different furniture store.”
“After two years there, I was disheartened by the quality of furniture they were delivering to people. I was the one building rapport with people, and it was frustrating when I felt our products didn’t live up to expectations. So I decided to leave. I went to work at a thrift store for two and a half years and pretty much ran things. I really enjoyed that job and it made the way for me to run my own business.”
“My husband took a severance when his company downsized and decided to jump in with me to start our own furniture store. We’ve been working together ever since.”
So this business is family-owned and run?
“Yes; half of the staff is family. My niece, nephew, son, husband, mother…everybody works here. We are truly family-owned and run. And, the staff who aren’t related to me really feel like family.”
“I’ve had lots of great staff pass through here. We’ve had kids start working here as young teens who stayed with me throughout high school and will come work during college breaks. They’ve all gone on to do different things, and we’re so proud of them. We call them our kids because we’ve seen them grow up with us. Most of them would say Jay and I have been like secondary parents to them. They come back and visit us when we have our Christmas parties and so on. We call it the ‘Kim’s Family.'”
That’s so special to have such a strong connection with your staff. Do you have a strong connection with Evansville as well?
“I grew up in a small town just north of Evansville. Although I lived in Indianapolis for some time, I was more than happy to move back to Evansville when my husband was transferred for his job. I wanted my kids to be close to their grandparents and cousins here in Evansville.”
“No matter where you live, the relationships are what is important. As a local Evansville business, we appreciate that there are so many people here who are loyal to supporting family-owned businesses. When you go to a bigger city, you may not have that level of loyalty. A lot of people who grew up here stayed here, so that loyalty stays here.”
What else keeps your customers coming back to Kim’s?
“We’re different from your average furniture store because our furniture changes week to week. Most people only go to a furniture store if they are specifically in the market for something. But at Kim’s, many of our customers frequent us weekly because there is always something different. We are known for having items that are one-of-a-kind.”
“We also offer several special services. For example, we provide delivery and pick up (for consignment), and we do online price match guarantee. We do this to get people to support small local business as opposed to buying online.”
“Another service we offer, and one I am hoping to grow, is our interior design service. Not everyone can afford to hire a designer to come in and help design your space. We offer something more simplified. You can email us photos of your space, or we can come in and we’ll put together a storyboard of ideas for you within your budget. If decorating isn’t your thing, it’s nice to be able to turn that over to someone else.”
Whether you need new furniture, help with interior design, or a one-of-a-kind shopping fix(!!), Kim’s furniture is definitely the local business you’ll want to support.
Learn more about Kim’s Furniture or more about their consignment services at Kim’s Consigned Designs or just stop by for a spell. (They have a lot of places to take a load off.)