An unusual furniture company based in Weston, WI is expanding its e-commerce business with a local showroom on Camp Phillips Road. The 7,000-square-foot space and 2,000-square-foot showroom will allow customers to peruse a variety of health-conscious and ergonomic desk options in person before they decide to make a purchase.
Beyond the Office Door made a name for itself primarily by selling office furniture like standing desks and ergonomic chairs. For the first nine years of the company’s existence, almost all business was done on the internet or over the phone.
This meant that though the company was successful online, they had a very minimal local presence, and very few local customers. Beyond the Office Door co-owner and Presidet Greg Knighton hopes that the new showroom will allow him and co-owner Ryan Bald to benefit from local business as well.
According to Knighton, there are very few local businesses that sell the ergonomic and specialized seating products that have made Beyond the Office Door so successful. He also hopes that seeing products in person will help people understand them.
“I can’t wait for the opportunity to get someone in here to actually see how awesome the desk is that I’ve been telling them it is for the last nine years,” Knighton told the Wausau Daily Herald. “Because it’s been tough; it’s an uphill battle every day trying to get people to understand what it is we sell.”
The move should also help open up a few new local job opportunities. Knighton hopes to expand the existing staff of five, and also plans to add two or three customer service positions to support the showroom. Out of the 4,906 furniture manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Beyond the Office Door chooses to support a local manufacturer called Colony Woodworking, which provides many of the company’s sit-to-stand desks.
Beyond the Office Door’s new showroom is set to open in March. Until then, customers can still order by phone or through the company’s website.