Verellen's secret weapon? Treat customers like guests

Growing up in Antwerp, Tom Verellen wanted to become a firefighter. Little did he know that the first location of his future furniture business would be in a former fire station. After Verellen left college during his sophomore year, his uncle offered him a position at his wallpaper company, Arte. The job was in Belgium, but he eventually convinced his uncle to open an American branch of the company, a job that took him to Ohio to set up a distribution system, including a network of sales representatives and showrooms. Still, the entrepreneur was agitated. “It had become a bit bland and boring for my taste, and it was like a little sandbox. I was like, “I want to do something else.” I want to apply this beautiful fabric,'” he told host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of Podcast Home Affairs. “My uncle and his partner owned Arte USA with me, and since they didn't want to venture out and start adding a lot of furniture and accessories, I asked him to buy me out.”

Looking for fertile ground for a new furniture company, Verellen traveled to High Point, North Carolina, in the summer of 1999. There, he came across an old fire station, rented and started his business, then called The Home Collection, now known as Verellen. . From the beginning, atmosphere was essential to the philosophy: “We had fires inside and out, and people would stop and hang out, and we would share great Belgian beer and a glass of wine with them and we made it all very hospitable. ” he says.

A lot has changed in the industry since the company started, and now designers, who were rare at High Point, are now the key to the company's future. Verellen even launched a concierge service to help designers navigate the large queue on their first orders, as well as develop more digital configurations of customizable furniture possibilities. “You have to think outside the box, don’t you? You need to make it exciting when your team has time for a meeting and someone is willing to give you an hour or two at a time – you better impress them and invite them to hello” , explains Verellen. “Everyone is so busy and no one really wants to see anyone unless you have something really exciting to share, and I think that's what we aim for and try to do better every time.”

Crucial insight: When he started his business, Verellen knew nothing about furniture making. Surrounding himself with people who knew better and could teach him was the key to his success. “Don’t be the smartest guy in the room, because you’re not. That’s just not the case,” he says. “It’s something innate in people: they want to teach and share their knowledge. So I watched, learned and applied.

Key quote: “You make people feel comfortable when you make them feel like they’re a part of something they didn’t think they’d be a part of.” It becomes a jovial bond and you sort of become brothers and sisters from day one. You gain a friend before you gain a customer.

This episode is sponsored by Loloi. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

BOH Editor-in-Chief Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the design industry, including a deep dive into the world of design newsletters, a cyberattack on Christie's and Elle Decorthe new A-List of. Later, upholsterer Grant Trick joins the show to discuss a new partnership.

Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.