THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408170041
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Long : 166 lines
WHEN KELLY DUMLER learned that she and her husband would live for four months in a Hampton Roads apartment outfitted with rental furniture, she assumed they'd be making do with functional, motel-type pieces.
But the Dearborn, Mich., resident was pleasantly surprised when, earlier this year, a company called Aaron Rents Furniture sent her brochures filled with splashy color photos of contemporary furniture, the kind you'd see in an upscale furniture showroom.
From a wide range of colors and styles, the Dumlers were invited to select furniture for the three-room Virginia Beach apartment where they would live from June to October.
``I went with a country blue couch that reminded me of what we have at home in Dearborn,'' Dumler said. The mauve comforter the couple chose for the queen-size bed in their apartment continues the country theme they like so much.
The Dumlers were pleased they'd be able to make their short stay in Hampton Roads so comfortable. They were even more pleased when they first set foot in their apartment just before dawn one day two months ago.
Exhausted from the long trip, they flicked on the lights to discover sheets on the bed, coffee in the coffeemaker and detergent at the sink.
``We'd been supplied with everything from A to Z - forks, knives and spoons, linens, towels, a vacuum, a microwave, a TV, a VCR, even art on the walls,'' Dumler said.
She decided she could get used to this way of ``instant living.'' After adding a few touches of their own - a computer, desk, stereo, pottery and guitar, for example - the Dumlers felt they could have hung a Home-Sweet-Home sign.
Typical rental-furniture clients, Kelly and Jeff Dumler are what is known in the trade as ``corporate customers.'' Employed by the Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Jeff was sent to the light-trucks division of Norfolk's Ford assembly plant as part of his training. CELEBRITIES
Members of the Norfolk Tides baseball team might fall into the category of celebrity customers. Of the team's 30 players, managers and coaches, 95 percent rent apartments and the furniture to fill them, said Dave Rosenfield, team general manager.
``Our ballplayers have very specific needs,'' Rosenfield said. ``They're in town for just five months, and they have transfer clauses, so sometimes they're not even here that long. The rental-furniture business is vital to the Tides' way of life.''
Since the rental-furniture industry began in earnest in the mid '60s, the customer profile hasn't changed much, said Jim Bannister, executive director of the International Furniture Rental Association in Westerville, Ohio.
Folks on short-term work or training assignments, like the Dumlers, account for a good part of the business, which is represented by three companies in Hampton Roads. Ballplayers, actors, entertainers and other celebrities who might need a home away from home for a few months are frequent customers.
``We also serve newlyweds, the recently divorced, teachers, students, diplomats, the military - anyone who'll be in a location a short time but doesn't want to stay in a hotel,'' Bannister said. ``And then we occasionally have the customer who simply wants to change furniture styles every year or so.''
Furniture rental also is a choice for some who have lost their homes in a fire or other disaster, or those who have to move out of an old home before a new home is ready. Edward Legum, president of Edward Legum Furniture Rental in Hampton, recalled the time a church rented furniture for six months for a new pastor while he was waiting to move into the parish house. MISCONCEPTIONS
People not familiar with the furniture-rental business sometimes confuse it with the rent-to-own method of buying furniture.
``The rental customer usually has no intention of acquiring ownership of the furniture,'' Bannister said. ``Although a purchase option is required by law, it is seldom used.''
The rent-to-own furniture business, he said, is a way for people who have no credit and insufficient cash to acquire ownership over time. Some companies, such as Aaron Rents & Sells Furniture, a national outfit with three local showrooms, have both types of stores.
Another common misconception, Bannister said, is that rental furniture is plain and dull.
``In the industry's early years, we did offer plenty of what we now call early Naugahyde,'' he said. ``We still always have an economical line of furniture available, but today's customer is much more discerning, much more sophisticated and usually not willing to settle for low-end merchandise. Now we always offer upscale furniture, too.''
A showroom might feature a canopy bed, a black cherry dining room table, a couch and love seat in a popular Southwestern design and coffee and end tables in solid oak. Brand names might include Craftmaster, Dakota, Bassett, Florida and Singer.
Like stores nationwide, the local companies also rent office furniture, a fairly recent industry addition.
``We began leasing office furniture in the '80s, as the residential market began to level off,'' said Bannister, adding that the industry had grown about 15 percent a year through the '70s. ``Office furniture was the next natural extension of the business, a way to jump-start it.''
Currently the furniture-rental industry in the United Sates and Canada yields more than $500 million a year in revenues. The industry association represents 500 showrooms in both countries.
Most of those showrooms, Bannister said, have an area where ``retired furniture'' is for sale at very attractive prices. After having been rented for a couple of years, a piece might have gone out of style or become slightly damaged. Before being placed in the sale section, it is repaired and sanitized, and often looks as good as new, even though it is wearing a garage-sale price. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Kelly Dumler and her husband rented a sofa, end tables - even
flowers - from Aaron Rents for their three-room Virginia Beach
apartment, where they are living temporarily.
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MORE ABOUT RENTAL FURNITURE
The Hampton Roads area has three furniture-rental companies
committed to swift service. Furniture is usually available for
delivery the business day after it is ordered.
While the monthly rental of three rooms of furniture averages
about $85, specials might start as low as $54 a month, while three
rooms of top-of-the-line furniture could run more than $160.
Although homes of all sizes can be outfitted with rental
furniture, the greatest volume of business is one- and two-bedroom
apartments. The average rental time is six to nine months.
All local companies offer ``corporate packages'' for business
customers. The furniture-rental company also arranges delivery of
amenities, such as small appliances, kitchen equipment, linens,
sheets and, in some cases, even artwork. There are usually delivery
and insurance charges on rental furniture; there is always an
optional purchase plan. All of the following showrooms also rent
office furniture and sell ``retired'' furniture.
Edward Legum Furniture Rental, 4700 Virginia Beach Blvd.,
Virginia Beach (499-5901); 4122 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton. (Call
1-826-3222.) Locally owned and operated, this showroom rents
brand-name furniture by the room or package deal.
General Furniture Leasing, 4443 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia
Beach (497-1035); 3009 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton (1-838-0338). A
national company, General rents brand-name furniture by the piece.
Aaron Rents & Sells Furniture, 3517 Virginia Beach Blvd.,
Virginia Beach (463-7440); 4205-A W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton
(1-827-0202). A national company, Aaron differs from its local
competitors because the company manufactures most of its own
furniture at five plants between Florida and Georgia. Aaron rents
furniture and major appliances by the piece.
Mary Flachsenhaar
by CNB