Furniture chain Bob’s Discount Furniture celebrated the grand opening of its new Long Island City location Friday morning with a ribbon-cutting and charity check presentations to several local organizations.
Bob’s, which opened its 209th store at 48-18 Northern Blvd. on Nov. 7, will be open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week, offering a variety of low-cost furniture and sets.
Nick Vassilakos, vice president of stores for Bob’s East Coast operations, said the furniture retailer had chosen a location in Long Island City because the neighborhood is a “great retail hub” located in close proximity to Manhattan.
Vassilakos said customers can expect a friendly greeting when they enter the new location, adding that Bob’s aims to set itself apart from other retailers by leaving customers alone if they are just there to browse.
“The first thing we do is greet them by saying, ‘Hi. Welcome to Bob’s. Would you like to look around?’ – that kind of puts customers at ease.” Vassilakos said. “If they say yes, we just kind of educate them on what’s around the store and we leave them alone.
“It’s we’re really a no pressure situation,” he continued. “Some of the other places you’ll go to, you’ll get more of our car dealership type of feel.”
Bob’s grand opening also saw the retailer donated more than $50,000 in charity check presentations to local organizations, including youth homelessness non-profit Covenant House, ACE Programs for the Homeless and Community School 111Q.
Bob’s donated $48,200 to Covenant House through its Café Collections for a Cause initiative, which saw Bob’s donate 100% matching funds on top of money raised at in-store cafés around the country. It also presented $2,500 checks to both Community School 111Q and ACE, which provides employed for New Yorkers who have a history of homelessness, incarceration or addiction.
Vassilakos said supporting local organizations has been a “fundamental part” of the Bob’s operating model ever since it opened its doors in 1991.
“We are not here just to service the community by giving them furniture,” Vassilakos said. “We give back to the community as well too. That’s, that’s one of the most important pieces of what we do.”
The new store has opened down the block from competitor Raymour and Flanagan Furniture, but Vassilakos is not concerned by the competition.
He said bunching furniture stores together allows customers to explore their options and said Bob’s encourages customers to visit their competitors. He added that Bob’s is confident that customers will often return due to the store’s low price point.
