Francis Furniture celebrates rebranding

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A change of management — and more importantly a change of branding and marketing philosophy — was the focus of a ribboncutting ceremony held Friday afternoon at what was formerly called Francis Furniture on South Washington Street.

New manager Shane Vanover was on hand to greet Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce Board members and staff and others as the store not only changed management, but its name as well. Now known as Lifestyle Furniture, the store is focused on bringing a new look to the store, as well as new merchandise and a new philosophy to its customers.

Vanover, who comes from a Lifestyle Furniture background at the store in St. Marys, said he wanted to partner with the Lifestyle brand when he came to take over the Van Wert store and rebrand the store using the Lifestyle retail philosophy. That included making some cosmetic enhancements to the store, as well as changes in merchandise.

“I wanted to freshen up the store, get people excited about the store again, bring new product, and revitalize it,” Vanover said of his initial goals after becoming the new store manager.

In addition to a new look inside the store, as well as new products, Vanover said the Lifestyle brand is having a month-long celebration to bring in floor traffic to the chain’s five stores (in addition to St. Marys, Lifestyle has stores in Greenville, Celina, and Troy).

As part of the promotion, area residents can register for a total of $4,000 in prizes, including a $1,500 shopping spree at the local store, as well as $500, $200, and $100 gift certificates throughout the Lifestyle group, a free Heartland Pillow Top queen mattress set, a free rocker-recliner, and several other giveaways.

A prize drawing will be held at the end of the month, Vanover said, adding that store hours remain the same as before.

In addition to quality furniture at a reasonable price, Lifestyle will also provide an in-house decorating service to customers.