Furniture Direct had been known in Hattiesburg for a long time, and over the past 18 months it has weaved its way into the fabric of Columbia, located at 709 U.S. 98.
The building Furniture Direct now occupies used to be Larry Middleton’s Super Discount Furniture store until Carl Miletello purchased it.
“We bought this from Larry Middleton in May 2016. He was ready to retire — we already had a store in Hattiesburg — this store had a good reputation and we thought Columbia was a good town to come to,” Miletello said of the move. “It’s been great. We like it. We like the area, like the people and business has been good.”
Miletello has been in the furniture business his entire life.
“I grew up in it in Louisiana,” he said. “I went to college over in Monroe, La., graduated in 1979 and been in retail ever since.”
Furniture Direct is stocked to the T with furniture and appliances for every inch of your home with bedding, dressers, kitchen and dining tables, refrigerators, couches and a whole lot more.
“We have a full line of furniture for the living room, bedroom, dining room; recliners, mattresses and we just added appliances,” Miletello said. “Anything you need for the house, we got it.”
One misconception about furniture stores that aren’t big chain stores is that they don’t carry big brand name products, which couldn’t be further from the truth at Furniture Direct.
“We carry a lot of Ashley Furniture,” Miletello said. “We have Serta, Englander, Franklin (made in Mississippi), Fusion Upholstery (made in Mississippi); we have a lot of made in Mississippi products.”
One of the biggest perks of Furniture Direct is its flexibility with financing to allow its customers to get everything they need.
“We’ve got traditional financing with two years no interest. We’ve got no credit check financing, so if they have a job and a checking account, we can get them approved with 12 months to pay for it and the first three months are interest free,” Miletello said. “We’re real flexible. We can do anything from cash, credit cards, checks, layaway — money is tight so people come in, put it on layaway, pay a certain amount and finance the rest of it.”
And it’s not just about the sweet deals Furniture Direct offers. Its employees are committed to helping each individual customer by sitting down and talking to figure out what the best way to purchase is.
“I think that’s what people want. They want a local company and local people to work with them and give them personal services,” Miletello said. “You sit down with them and find out what their needs are and fulfill their need.”
Being able to comprehend its customers’ needs and fulfilling those needs is what drives the success for Furniture Direct.
“I think identifying what the customer needs and fulfilling that need defines our success. Our pricing is as good or better than any of these big stores you see from Jackson or Hattiesburg or Baton Rouge,” Miletello said. “We have fast service, good prices and a good selection.”
Miletello has six employees working at the Columbia location, who he says are the business. Furniture Direct also has a new tool available to help its customers, an Ashley Furniture touch-screen kiosk that has Ashley’s entire line of products.
“Whatever they are looking for, it can bring up everything we have available,” Miletello explained. “With the touch of a finger, we can email, send it to their mobile device and check its availability to see if it’s in stock or not. There’s over 10,000 items linked directly to Ashley’s factory at a touch of a finger.”
Furniture Direct will deliver any product purchased directly to its customers’ homes and has even delivered as far as Shreveport, La.
Furniture Direct has a lot to look forward to as well with Black Friday sales at the forefront, according to Miletello.
“We’re going to have some really hot deals. Ashley is helping us out with some really hot specials.”
It is even hoping to give the building itself a facelift in the near future, as well as add a brand new line of products.
“At some point, we’re hoping to remodel the building a little bit. Freshen it up a little bit. Hopefully, next year we’ll be doing that,” Miletello said. “We may add an outdoor furniture line this spring.”
Furniture Direct is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and can be contacted by phone at (601) 736-7272 or online at www.furnituredirectnow.com.
Pictured Above: Owner Carl Miletello and sales representative Sandra Ratliff lead the Furniture Direct staff. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
