Furniture store offers retail, rent-to-own options on wide selection
Denny Broens knows furniture. He has been selling it for 35 years. From Granny’s to Leath to Lucas to Aaron’s, chances are most of Kokomo has purchased or rented furniture from him at some point.
But he’s just getting started. Broens recently opened Buddy’s Home Furnishings in the Southway Plaza, 3714 S. Reed Road, where he and his staff are ready to put new couches, sofas, appliances, and more in local homes.
Broens and his crew spent six weeks putting the store together, remodeling it from its former use as a kitchen and bath store. The work was worth it, Broens said, as the location is highly coveted due to the traffic the Southway Plaza generates.
“We were looking to be where the action was,” said Broens.
Opening Buddy’s is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Broens. He cut his teeth selling items at Granny’s Furniture in 1989. It was there he met Ken Lucas, and he eventually joined his manager at Lucas Home Furnishings. Ten years later, Broens was on the move again, becoming a manager for Aaron’s and overseeing store across central Indiana.
But Buddy’s is a store he can call his own.
“I made a lot of relationships that mattered to me over the years, but corporate life got to me,” said Broens. “Corporate compliance. It was wearing on me. I wasn't in control of my decisions and my own destiny.
“With Buddy’s, it’s a growing company with about 300 locations, and we’re the second in Indiana,” said Broens. “We don't have as many hoops for you to jump through. Other stores are limited on what they'll do to take care of you. They're limited on their services. They're limited on the products that they offer. We offer everything, the full product lines for GE, Frigidaire, Ashley. If you can think of it, we can get it.”
It is no exaggeration. If a desired item isn’t in stock on the Buddy’s showroom floor, the store offers an online showroom where customers can select virtually any piece of furniture or appliance they desire. And Buddy’s will ship it, deliver it, and install it. They’ll even help customers relocate it when they move.
The freedom given to Broens ensures that he and his staff can provide customers with top quality furniture.
“If you get something in your home and in two months, it doesn't look great, it doesn't feel great, or it breaks down, how likely are you to make that payment?” said Broens. “That's why it's important to me to get good quality merchandise in the building.”
While Buddy’s is a home furnishing store conducting regular retail business, that is only half of the mission. The business also is a rent-to-own center, where nearly any product offered can be purchased over time, with monthly, bi-weekly, and even weekly payment options.
“We'll give you a discount if you're paying cash straight out, but if you're going to rent, it has to be an easy process for you,” said Broens. “We do weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, whatever you want to do as far as making your payments. We can accommodate that.
“And we help people get products they may not have been able to get otherwise. You can walk into any major retailer and use some sort of lease to own option. But here you can touch it, feel it, see it. And we're small enough that you know who you're dealing with.”
The staff also responds promptly when their customers are facing an emergency. If the refrigerator goes out just before Christmas, Buddy’s offers an option to get a new unit installed quickly. And if it’s just a matter of sprucing up the living room before entertaining holiday guests, Buddy’s can have a new set in place before the first glass of eggnog is served.
“Are you down on your luck and don’t have the money to go out and buy new refrigerator the week of Christmas?” asked Broens. “We offer a rental option. We make it easy for you to come in and purchase what you need to help how you live.”
Initially, Buddy’s is offering all-new products, but as the rent-to-own arm of the store matures, there will be scratch-and-dent or returned items offered at a deep discount, Broens explained. In those cases, price is secondary to moving the items. He is motivated to do a deal and reclaim floorspace.
“When we get stuff back, we want to move it out, quick,” said Broens.
Buddy’s Home Furnishings is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Visit www.buddyrents.com to review the online showroom of products.