Rayfield’s Furniture adds flair with locally made merchandise

Visitors to Rayfield’s Furniture on Chapman Hwy are immediately impressed with the wide array of merchandise on display. Many styles and types of furniture are on the showroom floor, and master craftsmen locally make a large percentage of them. “We want to give back to the community,” Lori Rayfield says, “And one of the best ways we can do that is by acquiring our merchandise from local sources whenever possible.” In business since 1989 and at their current location since 1993, the Rayfield’s were recently victims of a fire that destroyed their original building. Having the building restored and being back in business came as a great relief to the organization. “The insurance covered most of the renovation,” Lori says, “But of course there’s always a little that it doesn’t cover. It’s terrific to be back helping our customers furnish their homes and we are looking forward to the increased traffic we usually see around tax refund time.” Charles and Helen Rayfield, the owners of the business, are pleased about being back on track as well. Juanita Rayfield, and Joan Adkins, sales expert, who help run the store, is usually on hand to assist shoppers with their choices and dispense their expertise whenever necessary. “As a family, we’ve been in the area for five generations,” Juanita stated. “We want people to know that we’re the kind of business that is going to be here for them in the long run.” The Rayfields face their biggest challenge in competing with big chain stores like Wal-Mart. They meet this challenge by delivering outstanding customer service, providing layaway and financing, and most of all by giving shoppers the assurance that the dollars they spend at Rayfield’s help power the local economy and not some faceless corporation. It doesn’t hurt that the pieces on the showroom floor are all of superior quality and represent a vast array of styles. Whether you’re in the market for a lovely cherry gun cabinet, one of their new Taylor Classic recliners, or a Quaker-style pine computer hutch, the Rayfield’s probably have what you’re looking for, and if it’s not in stock they can have one of their master craftsmen design and execute anything you can describe. Rayfield’s Furniture is located at 13015 Chapman Highway in Seymour; phone 429-3466.