EXPANDING: EXCLUSIVE FURNITURE UNVEILS DOCK 45 STORE
This year has been a momentous one for Sam Zavary’s Exclusive Furniture operation.
On Nov. 15, 2019, Zavary opened the company’s eighth Houston-area furniture store — Exclusive Furniture Dock 45, a 71,000-square-foot new store concept that offers deeply discounted furniture. And, only one week prior, he opened the doors to a 176,000-squarefoot distribution center and warehouse located in Missouri City.
“We opened Exclusive Furniture Dock 45 to give people in the North Freeway area value furniture products at lower prices,” said Zavary, Exclusive Furniture president and CEO. “And, we want customers to have peace of mind knowing they can trust the quality of our furniture and that they’re buying from a reputable, local company.”
He chose the Exclusive Furniture Dock 45 name to build on the 21-yearold company’s established name recognition, to highlight the size of his operation and to pinpoint its location. The new distribution center has 44 loading dock doors, and so the discounted furniture store has become the company’s 45th loading dock door. Further, the new outlet is at 7400
North Freeway, also known as I-45.
His discount concept is similar to what other retailers that offer outlets have done to sell overstocked merchandise, discontinued items or articles that didn’t sell to expectations in their other stores.
“About 60 percent of the furniture in the new store comes from our other stores. Most items are discounted 35-40 percent, and some are up to nearly 65 percent off,” he said. “The difference for customers shopping in our discounted store is that nearly every piece of furniture we sell has a one-year guarantee. That way, customers can trust they’re getting quality products, but at a deep discount.”
The new store sells a variety of types of furniture, including fourpiece bedroom sets from $399 to $1,199, and sofas from $299 to $699. There’s also a “bargain basement” area of the store that features oneof-a-kind, discontinued, returned merchandise and imperfect items.
“Our overall slogan is ‘Exclusive Furniture, Where Low Prices Live’ and, at Dock 45, the prices are lower than on the internet...,” he said.
Exclusive Furniture’s origin
Zavary immigrated from Pakistan in the 1990s and had no prior furniture sales experience before opening his first store in Almeda Mall in June 1998. He had taught himself the furniture business by visiting stores, making note of what types of furniture sold and observing what customers were
“We opened Exclusive Furniture Dock 45 to give people in the North Freeway area value furniture products at lower prices,” — Sam Zavary
looking for.
His research and hard work have paid off, as Exclusive Furniture has grown year after year. Last year, Exclusive Furniture had $44.6 million in sales of furniture, bedding and accessories. This year, Zavary expects his operation to generate about $53 million; next year that number should grow to $62 million with the addition of Dock 45, he said.
Zavary anticipates even further growth with the addition of a 50,000-square-foot full-line store — the company’s ninth — in Baytown, in late 2020 or early 2021.
“We want people to know that as a local company we want their business,” he said. “When people enter our doors, we greet them warmly and offer them a beverage. The whole family can feel comfortable here. We have TVs for dads, play areas for children and snacks for everyone.”
“Our growth plan is working because of this type of customer experience and our pricing, quality products and fast delivery,” he added.
Exclusive Furniture also supports the Houston community with ongoing partnerships with organizations like Catholic Charities, Baker Ripley, HomeAid, BuildAid and Coalition for the Homeless. In addition, the company stepped up after Hurricane Harvey and donated mattresses and other supplies to storm victims.