This episode of the Independent Thinking Podcast was recorded at the Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) PrimeTime event and expo in Nashville (August 2025).  

On this episode, NMG’s Director of Furniture and Outdoor, David Niedzielski, interviews Randy Graboski of Armen Living — a new vendor partner for NMG. Highlights of the conversation include:  

• Comparing NMG’s PrimeTime expo to other furniture markets and shows
• Growing popularity of the barstool and outdoor living categories
• Maximizing square footage in your showroom with high ROI products — like barstools
• Margin and programming benefits of partnering with Armen Living

 

WATCH this episode on YouTube.

 

Read the full transcript below.

 

David Niedzielski (DN): Good morning, Nationwide! Hey, my name is David Niedzielski. I’m the Director of Furniture here at Nationwide. I have the pleasure to be in the middle of our PrimeTime here in Nashville. It’s been a great show. We’re day two. 

I have the pleasure of sitting down with a brand new vendor partner, Randy here with Armen Living. So, Randy, this is your first show, is that correct? 

Randy Graboski (RG): My first show at Nationwide, that’s correct. It’s not my first show overall. We’ve done a lot of furniture shows and I’m not speaking just for the sake of giving you a pat on the back, but it’s probably one of the most professional shows I’ve been to. Besides taking care of the vendors, you take care of the customers as well and that’s really very nice to see. There’s a good gel. 

DN: I love that. I mean, that’s really what PrimeTime is about. It’s bringing together our members, our vendors. I love that you’re seeing the value. This is your first show. You had no idea what you were getting into. 

RG: No, not at all. 

DN: A new channel, a lot of opportunities. I know you’ve done Vegas Market. I know you’ve done High Point. 

RG: That’s correct. 

DN: You know, Atlanta Market, but we kept telling you, shows are different. 

RG: No, they’re very different. 

DN: We got to bring everyone together. So, I’m glad you guys could make it out. So, very exciting. So, I guess let’s jump into it, guys. 

Who’s Armen Living? If you’re not familiar, these guys have a phenomenal selection of products, mostly in the key categories of barstool and outdoor furniture is what they’re primarily known for. And so, you know, I’m gonna give you the floor, man. Let’s hear a little bit about you. 

RG: Well, we have over 700 barstools in the line right now. We do counter and barstools. It’s the same price, by the way. 

One of the things that we found throughout the course of the years, especially now, is that if you walk through any furniture show and you try to find a master dining room, you won’t find it anymore. People aren’t buying the big china cabinets or the tables. They’re making their kitchens larger and larger. So, they need stools. 

Now, they’re spending $30, $40, $50,000 on a kitchen renovation. They don’t want an inexpensive stool. They want something stylish that looks good and it’s gonna hold up. That’s where we come in. So, it’s been extremely good for us. 

DN: I love it. Now, when I was in your showroom, it was beautiful, right? 

RG: Thank you. 

DN: In Vegas, we walked it. You guys are unique in that barstool scene of, it was everything from your contemporary to your industrial to your commercial offerings. They have barstools that’ll support up to 500 pounds.  

RG: 500 pounds, that’s correct. 

DN: Yeah, it’s awesome. I love it. Now, tell me a little bit about your outdoor selection. So, I’m excited to add some outdoor furniture here. 

RG: Well, we just started the outdoor business approximately three years ago. 

DN: Okay. 

RG: And because of the barstools that we normally do, we moved into barstools and then we channeled out that to sofa, loveseat, occasional tables. And that category is expanding in leaps and bounds. 

DN: Yeah. 

RG: And the other thing we found out is that most people like the comforts of inside their house. But it’s getting to a point where they wanna be as comfortable outside the house. So, they want something stylish. They want something that’s priced right, and they want something that looks good to their neighbors and their family. And that’s where we come in. We’re just not the normal Joe with outdoor furniture. Let’s put it that way. 

DN: I love that. I definitely got that sense and feel between both yourself, Reb, Kevin, your whole leadership team has been phenomenal to work with us here at Nationwide. We’re very excited about this partnership. 

Let’s touch on merchandising a little bit. Barstools. We’ve talked a little bit. How advantageous and how lucrative can barstools be, especially when your floor spaces are premium, right? Our retailers… 

RG: Well, yeah. I mean, if I do a sales meeting, forgive me, but a dog and pony show, so to speak. 

DN: Yeah. 

RG: I’ll put a napkin on the floor and I’ll stand on the napkin and say, okay, let’s say this is a square footage that one barstool will take. Well, you’re not gonna buy one barstool. Today, you’re gonna buy five, seven, or nine stools because of the size of the kitchens expanding. So, you’ll produce more dollars per square foot for one barstool than you will have anything else in your showroom. 

DN: That’s incredible. I love that. 

RG: And that’s really where our business is expanding more and more and more and more. 

DN: I love that. Guys, it’s so important to maximize your floor space in your retail store, right? I mean, maximizing our profits, things of that nature. With that said, let’s talk margins. What can our retailers expect to make? 

RG: Oh, you can make at least, depending on how you’re talking, at least a number plus or a number plus 10 or 20, depending on how much they want to go. If I can add something else. 

DN: Please. 

RG: One of the major retailers that we do, they say, well, I have a couple of barstools, but they’re back there in the corner. 

DN: Yeah. 

RG: Well, what the major retailer has done, they’ve gone to a local cabinet and countertop source, have them build a countertop in their store so they can show all the stools the way they would be in the house, and they give that countertop customer free advertising. These are made for so and so, and you can see all these tops and everything in Joe Blow’s store down the street. That works extremely well. Extremely well. It’s good marketing and good merchandising. 

DN: I love it, Randy. So let’s touch on something very important to retailers, buyers, owners, anybody. Let’s talk programming and margins a little bit more. So, and specifically Nationwide exclusive offers, Nationwide benefits, right? 

GR: That’s great.  

DN: We’ve partnered together. 

GR: Yes. 

DN: We’ve partnered on a wonderful program with you guys. You guys have jumped into the group. You’re putting your money where your mouth is. 

So guys, we have partnered with Armen Living. They’re extending Nationwide members up to 20% off of wholesale based on your volume. That’s incredible, right?  

RG: That’s correct.  

DN: 20% off? 

RG: Yeah. 

DN: Is that real? 

RG: Well, yeah. That’s what the year-end agreement also. 

DN: Yes. Exactly. 

RG: That’s great. 

DN: And then guys, it doesn’t stop there. We have worked with Armen Living to bring you a quarterly rebate as well. So we have a volume rebate based on your sales quarterly from Armen Living to help support your business, use it for marketing funds, advertising dollars, and beyond.  

On top of that, we have aligned our marketing teams to work on assets, the story, brand, touch, and feel. We’ve also completed the building out of brand page for Armen Living on OneShop platform. So hopefully you’re checking it out. It looks beautiful. 

And then let’s talk freight. Let’s talk a little bit more margin. I believe we have a freight cap. 

RG: That’s right. That’s right. 

DN: A freight cap, guys. 

RG: That’s unheard of in furniture. 18% for a $3,000 order. Now again, depending on the proximity to the warehouse, which is in Valencia, California, it could be less than that. If the order gets higher, it could be less than that also. We always shop around for the best rate for the customer. Always. 

DN: I love that. I don’t know the last time I’ve heard freight rates like that. Especially shipping out of Southern California with a commitment for the whole country. 

RG: One of the things that I’ve learned in the course of my time with the company and being in the furniture business, you can’t just be a salesperson. You have to be an operator, too. You have to know what’s going on on the back end. Because if you’re not going to know what the customer is paying and now they’re, oh, I love it. But you have to be able to answer the but. And just get the right answer for the customer. That’s all. 

DN: Randy, it’s been phenomenal talking with you today. 

RG: Thank you.  

DN: I’m very excited for this partnership. Where we are going to see… Glad to have you out here in Nashville at PrimeTime. Looking forward to getting you out in Fort Lauderdale with us. We’ll be there next March at PrimeTime. 

RG: We’ll be there. 

DN: So guys, very excited for Armen Living. Please check them out. Go on MemberNet. Check out their programming. Randy’s contact is on there. All the program details, price catalogs, and more can be found there. So guys, thank you so much. 

Again, my name is David Niedzielski, Director of Furniture here at Nationwide Marketing. Until next time.