Modern Line Furniture takes aim at costly commercial furniture supply chain obstacles
From premiere hotels and casinos to restaurants and business lobbies, smart use of commercial-grade furniture can optimize space and improve brand image. But the industry consists largely of imports ordered from pictures in a catalog and manufactured in China, creating huge challenges.
Shipping containers are notoriously slow to arrive. Delivery timelines as lengthy as ten to 12 weeks are common and costly. The long waits can tarnish the end-users’ experience as some businesses must continue to use worn or outdated pieces, while others risk missing grand opening deadlines. Worse, if the delivered furniture doesn’t meet expectations or quality standards, ordering replacements could cause yet another extensive and painful delay.
“Imagine enduring this process every time you need commercial-grade furniture. Buyers want a different approach. They want to see the quality first hand so they know what they’re getting.
And, it’s important to give them a faster turnaround,” observes Modern Line Furniture Owner Vlad Spivak.
Now there is furniture that never sees the inside of a shipping container
Modern Line Furniture has become a leading commercial furniture supplier because Spivak refused to have his customers held hostage by imports. Since 2014, all of the company’s products are designed and manufactured in the U.S. using only American-made materials.
“Eliminating the supply chain issues gives us control over the timeline, which averages just two to four weeks,” Spivak explains. While there are smaller competitors, no other commercial furniture company has the capability to produce the same speed level and quality of custom work, and to manufacture at Modern Line Furniture’s volume.
He continues, “Our final products are also superior because materials sourced from overseas don’t adhere to American standards for production, consistency and quality. Sourcing from U.S. suppliers instead of overseas also benefits our economy in the long run.”
The art of design
Modern Line Furniture Managing Partner Yana Katliarova says the unique buying experience starts with the first phone call. “Most commercial furniture companies have order takers answering the phones. They don’t know the answers to even the most basic questions. That’s not how we do business. By immediately asking the right questions and gathering the necessary details, we avoid misunderstandings and facilitate a faster turnaround.”
Those details go beyond preferred color options and style. “For example, when we get a call about commercial restaurant seating, we will ask about the type of food they serve, and whether the atmosphere is casual or upscale. How many people will each restaurant table top need to seat? For specialty businesses, such as hookah lounges, we will discuss fire-rated vinyl options. We can look at their blueprints, or create CAD drawings, and suggest different models or configurations to maximize space and seating capacity.”
Every option is explored. “The requirements for a dealership’s lounge furniture will be different from a nightclub’s furniture. Does your nightclub furniture need hanging hooks for purses beneath the tabletops? What about charging ports? We can add outlets to any of our pieces including club chairs, table tops, sofas and booths. A lot of our customers are asking for that now. There is especially high demand for airports and waiting areas. There are always new design trends to consider, in terms of color, style and function,” comments Katliarova.
She adds, “Most people are shocked to receive a bid within a couple of hours for basic projects or in one day for more complicated ones.”
Customers are then involved in every step of the design and manufacturing process. “We communicate through texts and emails. We Facetime and send live videos from our factory so customers can watch as their orders are being produced,” says Spivak. “People are super happy to work with us because we make it easy. We are straightforward and we instill confidence in the final product.”
Demand for American-made commercial furniture is trending higher
For the last three years, Modern Line Furniture’s sales have grown at a rate of 30-40% annually. Its nationwide customer base includes such prestigious names as W
Hotels, Hilton, Hard Rock Cafe and Ritz Carlton. The company has started getting numerous government contracts and recently delivered a huge project for an entire floor of the World Trade Center.
Spivak is confident about the future. “Major hotels typically update their interior spaces every five to seven years. Smaller chains and businesses may base their purchases more on wear and tear. Regardless of their timeline, if a business, restaurant or hotel wants to make changes and adapt to what is trending, Modern Line Furniture will do whatever we need to do to help them stay in business and grow their businesses.”