Barnabas is turning 16 soon, and like most teenagers, we've become more focused on making friends and socializing. As you know, furniture is our thing. It's what we do. Lucky for us, we're nestled right here in a furniture dreamland; and, while we've made many good furniture friends in our 16 years, we want to broaden our social circle.
So, last year when the pandemic hit and we were stuck at home, we did what any teen would do in such a situation --- we got on the phone. We figured it was a good time to network, deepen our relationships with the furniture industry, and make new friends. One of these new friends turned out to be none other than the Florida-headquartered powerhouse Rooms To Go.
Rooms To Go is big here in Greensboro, and just big in general. If you Google "top 10 furniture stores in the US," there it is at the top, America's #1 independent furniture company with the nation's largest furniture inventory. It turns out RTG's philosophy about the power of furniture is similar to ours, and its commitment to corporate responsibility runs deep in communities across the nation. A phone chat led to a virtual tour. We shared our vision of using furniture to restore lives.
A couple of weeks after the virtual tour, we got a follow-up email with a message that made our hearts leap up: "Opportunity out of Dunn warehouse." Rooms To Go had a sizable donation for us --- a truckload of furniture to be distributed to our clients! Dozens of gorgeous RTG dressers and end tables awaited us in Dunn, so we spiffed up the 18-foot box truck and hit the road, and, in typical Barnabas fashion, we turned it into a mini-documentary.
The Rooms To Go facility is, in a word, awesome. A completely self-sufficient microvillage with its own onsite clinic and fitness center, RTG receives and sends out millions of pieces of furniture as well as an onsite outlet shopping center. We got the red carpet treatment complete with a tour on the coolest little red car we've ever seen!
Our day at Rooms To Go was a game changer. We made a new connection with an industry giant --- but what does that mean? For our clients it means everything. With a fluctuating inventory and a rising need, we traditionally give out one dresser per household. This RTG donation now enables us to give every child their own dresser while supplies last! We've always maintained that every person deserves a place to sit, a place to eat, and a place to sleep. Thanks to our RTG friendship, we can add a place for every child to store clothes, toys, and treasures to that mantra.
We're over the moon with our Rooms To Go connection. This furniture industry heavy hitter believes in the power of furniture just as much as we do, and we're infinitely grateful for the chance to partner and make our clients' dreams come true. We've been capturing the change this donation continues to make in our community, so stay tuned for updates!
Oh, and if you get the chance, you really should make a day trip to Dunn. Tell them Barnabas sent you!