When Fran and David Gruber opened Fran’s Wicker and Rattan Furniture at its original location in Rockaway in 1967, the furniture industry was completely different from how it is today. Despite competition from department stores, big-box stores and online retailers, Fran’s continues to provide high-quality merchandise and an unparalleled customer service experience. The showroom has been in its current location in Succasunna for over 45 years, and has also expanded to include online sales (www.franswicker.com).
Fran’s continues to be owned and operated by the Gruber family, and when speaking with Fran, her passion for the business is apparent. When asked what the secret to the company’s longevity is, Fran doesn’t hesitate. “Our customer service,” she says. “When customers would come in, we would say, ‘Welcome to our house,’ and we have always taken care of our customers.” Fran emphasizes the importance of their longstanding relationships, both those they have built with customers and with their furniture suppliers.
As a direct importer with factories around the world, Fran’s is able to offer the best pricing, while being personally involved in making sure that every piece is of the highest quality. Having used the same suppliers for 35 years, Fran is very proud of the personal relationships they have built—she recalls celebrating Purim in Shanghai while she was visiting a supplier, as well as hosting suppliers from overseas in her own home in New Jersey. She says these relationships translate to better-quality merchandise, too. She recalls visiting a supplier and comparing two seemingly identical chairs, and asking why he had insisted she purchase one instead of the other. “He turned the chairs upside down,” she recalls, “and showed me that one was much more structurally secure than the other, and would therefore last longer.” This is the type of quality assurance that has been a priority for decades, and what keeps customers coming back.
Fran says that customers consistently choose her store over competitors because of this commitment to quality, which has been a priority since the store first opened. “Our customers come to us because of our reputation and because we stand behind our product,” she says. In addition to individuals, Fran’s has also helped furnish the outdoor spaces at some of New Jersey’s most elite country clubs, golf clubs and hotels. Fran says they have also done business with many celebrities over the years, but says she won’t name names, other than to say that she remembers when President Nixon placed an order during the store’s first few years in business.
These days, the expansive showroom covers 100,000 square feet. Fran’s also has a unique on-premise custom cushion department, which allows customers to uniquely create cushions to match any decor inside or outside the home. With a huge selection of furniture for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, home offices, bathrooms and children’s rooms, as well as porch and patio furniture, Fran’s Wicker and Rattan Furniture invites you to come in and find out what has made them an institution for 50 years.
Fran’s Wicker and Rattan Furniture is located at 295 Route 10 East, Succasunna, NJ. Visit them at Franswicker.com.
