"I just wanted to let you know that our Manhattan Audio Cabinet arrived yesterday. It arrived in excellent condition due to the outstanding packaging. The cabinet is much nicer than we had expected. It is an exceptionally well-built, nicely detailed, beautiful piece of furniture. Thank you."
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Gorman, Sonoma, CA - 10/16/03

I built my first pair of Stereo Speakers in 7th grade wood shop back in 1977 and have been an enthusiast for music and movies ever since. Watching the technology evolve over the years was fascinating and a great hobby for a guy growing up in the 70s and 80s. Back then I thought my pair of 6’ tall oak wood speakers and my cinder block ‘TV Stand’ were really attractive. That was then. Years later when I bought my first home, it quickly occurred to me that one crucial aspect had not evolved for the consumer: aesthetics. The A/V industry I was so proud of had let me down now that I had more discerning tastes!

I wanted an armoire for a new HDTV but could find nothing that would accommodate the size. This alone became an endless search, which failed miserably with a plethora of junk furniture at the local A/V store and high end furniture stores that barely knew TVs came in sizes larger than 32”, which still seems true even today.

When sharing these frustrations with other friends it was obvious that I was not alone, so much so that we all concluded there was not a single brand of quality furniture that met the needs of those buying a new Flat Panel or DLP/LCD Television. Ironically, this crisis was happening when I was pondering a topic for my MBA class in Entrepreneurship. After extensive surveys and buyer research, I felt compelled to turn my Business Plan into a reality. In 1997 and 1998 we designed our first line of “Performance Furniture” and then considered how to bring the products to market. Since our products were innovative, why not be innovative in our distribution? We knew that high end furniture carried huge dealer markups of at least 100% or more. That meant that if we sold our HD Armoire to a dealer for $3,000 they would sell it for $6,000 or more. Not exactly what we had in mind to bring our furniture to as many people as possible. When we considered that Internet Commerce was evolving quickly, with high speed access and impressive high resolution monitors, we knew our distribution was clear.

Our Internet Direct approach has been noted as a pioneering business model in the luxury goods market. While consumers cannot touch and feel our products before they buy, we make no apologies – our customers receive heirloom grade furniture at about half of what they would pay at a traditional furniture dealer if we sold to them. In addition, unlike most mail order catalogs & websites that drop off packaged furniture in your garage, our furniture is blanket wrapped and delivered inside your home via White Glove Delivery, the best furniture delivery service available.

It’s also important for you to know that we thrive on personal contact. At a time when most companies try to steer you through their website in an attempt to abolish any and all customer phone calls, we would love to talk to you. Our goal is that this will be the easiest and most satisfying furniture purchase you have ever made.

Today, Performance Furniture designs the A/V industry’s most unique and intelligent Audio and Home Theater furniture, with a quality level unmatched by any other brand. All products are marketed direct to you through our PerformanceFurniture.com website and through our exclusive reseller Crutchfield.com. We also support all Dealers, Designers, and Builders with a resale courtesy.

We hope you enjoy your Performance Furniture®

Steven Bell
President and Founder

[Print this page]