Page 5 - Women in Business

Advertising Supplement to the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Mary Beth Crafton Crafton’s Furniture
Women in Business • Sunday, October 18, 2015 • 5SS
By Special Sections Staff
THREE RIVERS EDITION
Every day, Mary Beth Crafton, co-owner of Crafton’s Fur- niture, gets to do exactly what she loves — see old friends and make new acquaintances.
Having grown up in Jacksonville, where Crafton’s has been an established name since 1955, Mary Beth and her husband, Kenneth, are now serving the third generation of the business’s furniture shoppers.
“[It is good] being able to be in the community and know the people that you live around,” Mary Beth said. “I love get- ting to interact with people in the community and those from surrounding communities.”
Mary Beth and Kenneth, along with Kenneth’s brother Der- wayne and his wife, Monnie, bought the business when his parents retired. Today, the business includes a location in Searcy, and Kenneth and Mary Beth are sole proprietors of both stores.
With no experience in the furniture business, Mary Beth said she learned bit by bit and day by day once they took over the business in 1976.
“We were very excited to buy the family business and keep it going,” Mary Beth said.
There is no wonder that Crafton’s has remained a staple in the community. Mary Beth said the business offers great
I LOVE GETTING TO INTERACT
WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THOSE FROM SURROUNDING
COMMUNITIES.”
customer service, decorating ideas, special ordering and free local delivery.
Crafton’s also offers personalized decorating service for customers. Mary Beth said her design philosophy is to simply go with furniture that will last for a while.
“Don’t be too trendy with fabric; you can be more trendy with accessories,” she said. “Stick to traditional pieces, and build around those. We will come to your home and bring fabrics and help you choose something for your home that will match what you already have.”
Mary Beth said her proudest moments as the store’s owner are when young customers come in and tell stories about re- ceiving furniture purchased in the store by a grandparent and given to them when they were children.
“We are now serving our third generation,” Mary Beth said. “They tell you how their mom and dad and grandparents have bought [from us], and they continue to be your customer.”
— Mary Beth Crafton
MICHELLE COTHERN/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Mary Beth Crafton, co-owner of Crafton’s Furniture, said her store is now serving its third generation of customers, which is possibly one of her favorite parts of the business.