Retail has changed dramatically in the past few years, with an increased focus on the in-store experience. It’s no longer about simply selling the product, but rather giving the customer a seamless shopping journey that leads them to solutions that help them live their best lives.
Industry veteran Doug Stewart is a big proponent of this idea, and he has helped bring it to life with a new retail store called Harmony Home in Apex, North Carolina. The store grand-opened this weekend with a ribbon-cutting event and raffle giveaway that included some of the store’s top products.
Stewart has been in the home furnishings industry his entire life, growing up around his grandfather’s furniture retail stores with his cousin Brandon Hardee, who is the cofounder of Harmony Home.
“Some people choose the business or the industry they’re going to be in, and other people are kind of born into it,” he says.
Stewart explains that his partnership with Hardee works so well because, having grown up in the business, they both know how to work in every role, whether it’s finance and logistics or sales and marketing. Stewart has also held roles at Bassett, Nationwide and Resident, to name a few, which gave him extensive experience in all parts of the home furnishings industry.
“It just made sense for us to carry on not only the family legacy, but also to carry it on in spirit,” he says. “Growing up, my grandfather’s store served small communities in and around Raleigh, but that old business model wouldn’t work today, even if we wanted it to, so we decided to put something together that was fresh and matched both our customers and community.”
Stewart says he and Hardee built the store based on how they could serve the community the most and that they have created something unique in retail.
“That’s where the name came from,” he explains, “If there’s any one thing that anyone across the board wants regardless of age, values or political persuasion, it’s harmony in their homes. Our goal is to help people create and maintain harmony.
To do this, Harmony pulled in three important product categories.
Rest and sleep are a large part of creating harmony, according to Stewart, and bedding is a category that serves this need.
“When you walk into our showroom, it’s clear that sleep is a priority for us, and as a result, that caused us to curate our collections in a way that’s a bit unique as well,” he says. “If you want a brand name, there are a ton of places in our market that you can buy those. There’s nothing wrong with them but there’s no need for us to place things on our floor if the need has already been filled.”
He says that important considerations were not only the quality of the product, but the components as well. The retailer turned to MattressGrove to help them create the Harmony mattress collection, which includes 10 beds. Stewart showcases seven of the beds on the floor.
“I would put these beds up against anything on the market at any price point,” he says.”They’re all manufactured in Greensboro, North Carolina, then all of the components are all sourced within 60 miles of our showroom. So not only did we design the build of it, but we also got as granular as designing the component, knowing where they’re from and actually visiting those facilities.”
Aside from being hyper-local, the products also have a sustainability angle. The retailer partnered with Prana Sleep for their 100% Talalay product, as well as Avocado, a brand synonymous with sustainability, and tech-focused bedding brand Bryte.
Bryte has a distinct offering with beds that include 90 air coils called Balancers. The Balancers inflate and deflate in real time based on where the sleeper’s pressure points are, leading to a personalized sleep experience for each sleeper.
Harmony Home is one of the first brick-and-mortar retail stores to showcase Bryte products.
The other two variables in the harmony name are lifestyle and environment. For these, Harmony brought in Stressless recliners and Fairfield chairs to address lifestyle needs and outdoor furniture from Southern Home to address the environment.
“The shopping experience has continued to degrade over time,” he says. “Customer service used to be something that was non-negotiable, and today it seems like it’s optional. We really believe that the best way for us to accomplish what we’re here to accomplish is to provide value first.”
He adds that the ribbon-cutting ceremony was a success, with nearly 200 people in attendance, including the mayor of Apex, Jaques K. Gilbert.
“There’s a quote that says, ‘Safe is risky, and risky is safe,’ he explains. “We ran with an idea that lots of independents would consider risky. We’re not really a mattress store, not really a furniture store, no national brands, not pushy and no gimmicks. Just curated calm, consistent quality and care. There are plenty of options for the status quo. When we cut the ribbon on Saturday, we didn’t just open a store; we opened a love letter to our city, and our community loved us back. We designed Harmony to be the rebirth of retail, and we intend to see that vision through for generations to come.”
