The Costco Connection - January 2014

working at Abbyson while attending college. While Abby remains chairman of the board, in 2008, he transferred operations to Yavar, now president; Doddy, senior vice president and COO; and Rodd, vice president of sales and marketing. “[Our father] has high standards,” says Yavar. “He taught us to constantly improve, and not be satisfied with good.

Make it great.”

The road to dot-com

In 1998, Abbyson Living was perfecting its own furniture designs when it began selling imported Tibetan rugs and furniture at Costco as a traveling roadshow supplier. Proceeds of these sales also supported several philanthropic e;orts in Tibet, including the construction of a school.

;ree years into the partnership, Yavar and Doddy, along with their sales team, traveled to 190 warehouses in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Utah twice a year to sell their goods.

When they began selling their own furniture designs at the warehouses, strong sales prompted Costco to bring Abbyson Living on as a supplier for Costco.com in 2006.

It took three years to transition the business from a roadshow to a Costco.com vendor. “We had to really understand the philosophy of the e-commerce business,” says Yavar. He explains that they had to update their packaging and photography, and expand their manufacturing and distribution to carry more inventory for the new business model. ;ese changes, paired with the ability to source high-quality raw materials, allow them to o;er luxurious furniture at competitive prices.

;e brothers take inspiration from current runway fashions and incorporate them in a timeless yet contemporary way: sleek lines and studded accents, mixed with traditional offerings such as tufts and neutral colors. When asked if they all have similar décor tastes, like a true big brother, Yavar laughs and says, “I would say so. Especially Rodd; he copies everything I do.”

An earned reputation

Since the brothers took over the business,
word has spread about their traditional, con-
temporary styles, and celebrity fans (such as
Howie Mandel and Melissa Joan Hart, among
others) have asked the brothers to personally
design their spaces. In addition to having its
products on the sets of several TV shows,
including ;e Voice and HGTV’s Design Star,
Abbyson Living is the featured business of the
premiere episode of TNT’s new reality series
Inside Job, where candidates compete in vari-
ous challenges for a top-grossing position at a
successful company.

But Abbyson’s reputation rests on more than lights and cameras. ;e brothers’ collection of high-end furniture also comes with high-end customer service (see right), and companies are clamoring to partner with them. At the time of publication, 198 retailers were on a waiting list to sell Abbyson Living furniture. “;ere’s a six-month vetting process. We’re very selective about which retailer carries the Abbyson Living brand. We’re all about quality, not quantity,” says Yavar.

A culture of growth

At Abbyson, each employee is treated like part of the Ra;eha family. Not only does the company o;er competitive pay and bene;ts, but its Moorpark, California, headquarters also has a Zen room with massage chairs, ;sh tanks, ambient lighting and calming music to help employees relax mid-shi;. ;e company also hosts a chef once a month to cook a feast for employees, and recognizes its sta; through employee-of-the-month and employee-of-the-year awards, the latter of which includes a trip to Hawaii.

“We believe that if our employees are happy and love their jobs, they will give better service to our customers. We love our employees and treat them as family, and having a peaceful work environment is important,” says Yavar.

Abbyson Living was honored with an Inc. magazine’s 2013 Hire Power Award for being among the top 100 companies for job creation, and the brothers hope to continue the trend. ;is year, they plan to expand their designs and furniture categories, which will create additional hiring opportunities.

When asked if he ever expected to see Abbyson Living where it is today, Abby Ra;eha says, “It’s a dream to see my sons so successful.

Really, it’s a dream.” C

BUYING FURNITURE ONLINE takes a certain leap of faith, since you are most likely making the purchase sight unseen.

Customer service is paramount to Abbyson Living’s success, and its employees pull out all the stops to ensure that Costco members always have a pleasant experience when they buy Abbyson Living furniture on Costco.com.

The member places his or her Costco.com order.

Abbyson Living calls the member within the next business day to give even more details about the furniture to verify it’s exactly what the member is looking for. This may include mailing swatches, describing the firmness of a sofa or direct-ing the member to an online room simulator to demonstrate how a piece might fit the space. Representatives also ask for entryway measurements to ensure that the furniture can fit inside the home.

Once the purchase is confirmed, employees inspect the furniture to ensure its flawless condition prior to shipment. Delivery takes two to four weeks, and employees keep tabs on the shipment to make sure it’s on track. If they notice anything abnormal, they’ll contact the shipper to make sure it’s kept moving, even without the member inquiring about it.

Depending on where the member resides, Abbyson Living partners with Ace Delivery to offer a special delivery service for Costco members only. Ace Delivery employees put on white gloves and booties before entering a member’s home and assemble the furniture in the room of the member’s choice, while removing any cardboard, etc., and answering any questions the member may have. Since they are the only people with whom the member will have in-per-son contact, Abbyson Living wants to make sure that every minute of the delivery is a pleasant experience.

After delivery, an Abbyson Living representative calls the member to make sure he or she is happy with the purchase. Employees will dispatch “Furniture Medics” for minor repairs or ship replacement furniture if anything was damaged in transit. In many cases, due to their topnotch communication with Ace Delivery and other shipping partners, they are notified of any damage before the furniture ever reaches the member’s home. In this instance, they notify the member and rush-deliver a replacement piece.—HM