Wednesday, May 5, 2004

Putting the right pieces in your home

By KRISTINE FORTUNATO
kfortunato@thecitizennews.com

Sandra Ostrander understands the importance of furniture, and the importance of the right pieces in your house.

“I love furniture and how it makes me feel in my home,” she explained.

Wanting others to have the same experience with their furniture was what led Sandra to open her own store, Southland Home Furnishings, offering quality furniture and home accessories at factory direct prices.

A unique feature of Southland Home Furnishings is customers’ ability to create a wish list of furniture for their home.

“If we don’t have it, we’ll find it for our customers,” Sandra said. “We go the extra mile to satisfy our customers.”

Terri Ostrander, Sandra’s sister-in-law, also works at the store, and

is in charge of maintaining the wish lists.

“Terri makes a serious effort to find what the customers want and won’t take no for an answer,” Sandra said.

She tells the story of how Terri called all over the country to track down a specific baker’s rack. She eventually called the factory, which located the piece after searching for five weeks.

“When the customer finally got what she wanted, she was ecstatic,” Sandra said.

“I love the challenges sometimes presented to me on customers’ wish lists,” Terri said. “I look forward to overcoming obstacles to get them exactly what they want. Personal attention and excellent service are what we are about.”

Sandra began selling furniture in 2001 over the Internet and soon created her own Web site where local customers could view furniture and other products. She leased a small showroom to display her furniture, and quickly out grew her space. This followed with a warehouse in Brooks, and her current 4000-square-foot showroom in Fayetteville.

Southland Home Furnishings features a variety of styles, with an emphasis on traditional furniture and accessories, and shipping is available across the United States.

Sandra says she loves her business and has persevered to succeed. “I’m now focused on what I love to do,” she said.

This wife and mother of three young children says the key is balancing her business with her family life, keeping the two separate and making sure her family gets the love and attention they need.

“I try to keep a positive, upbeat attitude and learn from my mistakes,” Sandra said. “I hope to make this business grow and prosper, so we can continue to offer excellent customer service and the best quality furnishings for the best price.”

Southland Home Furnishings is located at 1510 Ga. Highway 85 North in Fayetteville, two blocks north of Home Depot. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Coming soon is the Southland Antiques Gallery. Space is limited. Reserve a booth today. Call 770-719-1199 for more information.