Ray Allegrezza
Back in the 1960s, a favorite phrase suggested, 'Today was the first day of the rest of your life."
Thanks largely to COVID-19, we need to dust that phrase off, reconsider it and, more importantly, take it to heart and act on it.
As I write this from my home office, most of us in the furniture industry have been rudely and unexpectedly pushed off the playing field.
Even worse, the lockdown and lost business as a result of this virus has left many of us no longer part of the team. Many good and talented people have been let go and are suddenly free agents with no takers.
In simple terms, this is now a new ball game, and no one, I repeat, no one, has the new rules.
Like it or not, that's. the reality. But there is another reality that says the sun will rise tomorrow morning, life will go on, the business will come back.
But for those hoping that things will return to normal, I want to caution them that the playing field we all were forced to walk off of will not look the same when we return.
I think the field will look smaller, and here's why: Prior to the virus there were suppliers, reps and retailers who, quite frankly, were just barely holding on. I think when we get the "all clear" to go back on the field, you will see fewer players.
The surviving teams will be faster, smarter and more resilient than ever. If you compete against them and you don't have an A-game, you have my condolences.
If you support or service them, I am encouraging you to use this down time to up your game and anticipate their needs, which have most likely changed during this crisis.
When Jeff Bezos launched Amazon, he stressed the necessity of seeing every day as Day 1. He argued that, Day 2 is stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by painful decline, followed by death.
I realize that COVID-19 has left us in a state of chaos. But I also firmly believe that chaos and disruption set the state for innovation, solutions and advancements.
Yes, today the virus has temporarily leveled the playing field. But it has also given you an opportunity, regardless of the role you play in our industry, to reimagine, reinvent and return better than ever.
Here at IHFRA, we are hard at work supplying our members with as much useful information as possible to help them succeed once given the all clear. We've posted articles, created a webinar, put together a comprehensive and very affordable continuing education program and more.
We are also working closely with the American Home Furnishings Alliance, the Home Furnishings Assn. and other associations to help develop programs suited to make the entire industry better.
When I am able to exhale and momentarily clear my mind of all this cornonavirus chaos, I get a glimpse of Americans sitting in their kitchens or living rooms or dens with a renewed awareness of just how important their homes — now more than ever seen as safe havens — really are.
I also think this forced isolation is causing them to be more aware than ever of their furnishings. I believe that any time our customers spend thinking about furnishings can be good for our industry.
When consumers come back into the market, they will be different, too. I think their expectations will be bigger than ever, but so may their appetite to recreate their havens.
I hope we will be ready for them. In the meantime, I wish you health, fortitude, peace and prosperity.
Ray Allegrezza, executive directorInternational Home Furnishings Representatives Assn.
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