Business Spotlight: New home furnishings store passes savings to customers

Chaz Feilen loves saving people money.

The owner of the new Carson City Mattress Outlet, located at 1208 N. Carson Street and across John Street from Adele's, has spent the last three years in furniture liquidation.

"I just pride myself on helping other people get a good deal, and making a little bit of money from a whole bunch of people rather than a whole lot of bunch off just a few people," Feilen said. "I'm trying to reach out to the market and get to the most people."

Feilen started in the liquidation business three years ago in Reno through a family friend.

Prior to that, he spent 15 years repairing and cleaning carpets, as well as restoring homes damaged by water, mold and fire. He still carries certification in mold removal and water restoration.

All those years spent surveying the damages to homes, furnishings and the cost of replacing or restoring them, Feilen said, caused him to realize just how expensive those losses were.

"I noticed there's a lot of nice stuff out there," he said. "When you do a little due diligence, go around to the different places and realize how expensive it is, I wanted to find a way to save people some money."

He said retail mark-up contributes most to high prices. Some expenses, Feilen said, can't be helped, such as labor and warehouse space.

Overhead, however, is one of those costs that can be controlled, he said. Yet so many large furniture stores carry a lot of overhead that prevents them from offering better deals.

"A lot of stores are marking up this stuff 1,000 percent," he said. "But at Carson City Mattress Outlet, we don't do that. I work here by myself and keep my overhead low. That way I can keep my prices low and extend the savings to the customer."

Feilen said his merchandise is typically marked down anywhere from 50 to 80 percent off average retail prices. He said his direct connections to the manufacturers and his low overhead costs allow him to do that.

This attracted Feilen the most to the liquidation business, so when an opportunity to open his own liquidation store came up at the beginning of the year, he decided to take the leap.

"I had an opportunity in January to start my own business rather than work for somebody else," he said.

Feilen said he chose Carson City for three reasons.

One had to do with what he saw as a shortage of furniture stores in the state capital. Another was because Feilen saw growth here that he wanted to be a part of.

"Carson itself is just growing so quick, there's a lot going on here," he said. "It's actually exciting how Carson is growing and all of the new things that are coming to Carson City. I want to be part of the family, too."

His third reason for opening his business in Carson City is because the small town environment appeals to Feilen, and the capital city exudes this kind of charm.

"I like the good, old down-home feeling, the quiet feeling instead of the big city feeling," he said. "Everybody helps everyone here. Everybody kind of keeps it simple. I like that."

Feilen just opened for business in his 3,500 square-foot space over Memorial Day weeekend, and he is preparing for the store's grand opening on Saturday, June 4.

Currently, most of the 2,800 square-foot showroom is taken up with mattress inventory, of which the Carson City Mattress Outlet carries 16 different styles.

From traditional inner springs to hybrids, memory foam or pillow tops, and adjustable mattresses, Feilen said he's got something that will appeal to every mattress shopper.

Feilen also said he offers 50 different sets of bedroom furniture, as well as several living room and dining room sets, too.

He just doesn't have the retail space in his showroom to display these right now, he said. But Feilen hopes to be able to expand in the future, so the showroom can accommodate furniture sets and mattresses together.

"I have everything to furnish your whole house, whether it's your living room, your dining room, or your bedroom," Feilen said. "Right now I don't have everything set up yet."

He said he hopes to have flat screen televisions set up in the showroom in time for Saturday's grand opening, providing the customer with a virtual showcase of the furniture sets his store offers at discount.

"It makes it easy and fun for people to buy," he said.

Feilen said customers will note right away the savings he talks about as soon as they walk through the door.

Instead of a team of salespeople, customers will deal directly just with Feilen, so there is no labor overhead. This allows him to provide much more personal and manufacturer-direct service to customers, an advantage he feels is valued by the small-town residents of Carson City.

"I am directly linked with the manufacturer, and it takes only a couple of days to get an item in rather than a couple of weeks," he said. "The pricing is also an advantage, because it helps the dollar stretch farther."

Feilen said financing is available on top of the significant cost savings. This includes no credit check and 90 days no interest.

Grand opening for the Carson City Mattress Outlet is Saturday, June 4, from noon to 8 p.m.

As part of the promotion, Feilen said the first 20 mattresses he sells will be at his cost.

The business will also participate in this month's downtown Wine Walk June 4, so vino will be served for the grand opening, too.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.