…You gotta get to BILTRITE today!

That jingle could often be heard on local AM radio WOKY “Sunny920” growing up in 1970s Milwaukee. But BILTRITE Furniture has been around a lot longer than that! The 4th generation family owned & locally operated business has been proudly serving the metro-Milwaukee area since 1928. They specialize in furniture, leather, and mattresses allowing them to be highly knowledgeable about their products.

According to their LinkedIn profile, their specialties include better quality furniture and mattresses including USA and Amish made. They have a large selection of small-scale furniture, great for condos, apartments, small homes, senior living, dorms and more.

In March, the Home Furnishings Association bestowed on Marty Komisar, the third-generation owner who along with his wife Gail, daughter Randi, son Brad, and daughter-in-law Sarah, run BILTRITE the 2023 Retailer of the Year award for stores under 50 employees.

“I saw a way of doing business that I have not seen before,” said Mark Schumacher, CEO of HFA who visited the showroom for the award celebration. “In fact, many of the things they do I believe many other retailers would think they were crazy.”

BILTRITE’s 45,000 square foot store is filled with more merchandise than most other retailers might display. “Our customers expect a large selection,” said Marty Komisar, “and the sales team knows how to navigate it well.”

While some retailers prefer a more minimalistic approach to product labeling, BILTRITE’s inventory has a plethora of tags on it giving the customer all the information they need to aid in the purchase decision.

BILTRITE doesn’t sell any protection plans or extended warranties, which is bread and butter for many retailers. “Don’t waste your money,” their website says.

Their hands-on family members actively offer personal service along with competitive prices. Being a part of a 350-store, billion-dollar buying group, manufacturers give BILTRITE the lowest prices, which they in turn pass on to their customers. They also offer a low-price guarantee and will beat any legitimate price from a local competitor with the same item (under the same terms and conditions).

And if that’s not enough, BILTRITE will refund 110% of the difference if you find a lower price within 30 days of an original purchase. They offer Free Delivery on mattress-only purchases of $599 or more within the Metro Milwaukee area (counties include: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Washington, & Ozaukee).

Even more amazing is that BILTRITE doesn’t sell online. Before they buy, BILTRITE believes customers should “SEE it. FEEL it. LOVE it.” While many businesses went under during the national shut-down from the pandemic, BILTRITE survived. In fact, they THRIVED! Business sales are through the roof!

BILTRITE closes at 6:00 pm daily, except Sunday when they are closed all day to be with family. On Saturdays, they provide lunch for their entire team and offer an incentive retirement plan for them.

The Komisar family listens to their customers and give them what they want. They listen to their team and treat them well. BILTRITE gives back to some amazing organizations in Milwaukee and their suburb Greenfield. In fact, to celebrate the Retailer of the Year, BILTRITE donated to two local not-for-profits.

Best practices aren’t cookie cutter templates for the business, they are what’s best for customers and team. “That’s what success looks like at BILTRITE”, said Schumacher, “You can’t deny success.”

And this is why BILTRITE is The Starr Group’s 2023 Q1 “Customer of the Quarter”!