“We will take care of our customers whatever it takes.” – Trish Johnson, owner
Trish Johnson, the owner of Davisson Furniture Center on 2767 Progressive Road in Seward, was born and raised in Seward, Nebraska, and started helping with the family business ever since she can remember. The House of Davisson Incorporated, which is still in existence by the time capsule, was started in 1934. It started as a chicken hatchery but evolved into whatever Trish’s dad could get his hands on. As Trish explained, “Dad would add whatever the farmer needed. The slogan was, ‘Everything for the farmer but rain.’” They sold rifles and shotguns, motor scooters, cigarettes, Easy spin-dry washers, color televisions, and grocery items. One time they bought a carload of pudding and jello that were in damaged boxes. The local jail came and bought a year’s supply for the prisoners because they said it could be considered protein. Johnson was there as the business evolved and changed.
Eventually, they shut the family business down in 2005. Trish created an offshoot of the original and relocated the business to its current location. They have been open for 15 years now.
“It keeps evolving. Nothing is forever. Nothing is permanent,” Johnson explains.
The store is now more focused on four core areas: appliances, floor coverings, furniture, and bedding. She no longer sells boxed pudding or rifles and shotguns, but much like her father, Trish still adds items that she finds interesting, like peanut clusters and a motorcycle-shaped wine rack. According to Trish, “You have to have fun with it.” Davisson has a rotating lineup of quality products to fill anyone’s needs.
Over the past year, Trish has faced major challenges, most of which are largely out of her control, and she has had to use her experiences to figure out how to adapt and carry on. Since the start of the pandemic last March, the business has lacked adequate help. Numerous problems within the supply chain have caused a foam shortage that affects most of the products that Davisson sells. Before COVID-19 they could special order items and receive them within 21 days. Now there is no guarantee how long it will take. Many of the orders they placed last year still have not been delivered. “Normally there was a truck out here every month, but we have had two orders filled this year,” says Dillon Ruether, Johnson’s manager at the store. Despite the struggles, business boomed as more people started to want to do home renovations. “We had done some stupendously heavy buying when we thought that stuff was going to be in short supply, and it was the only thing that kept us going,” says Johnson.
The team at Davisson furniture has given up days off and vacation time. “The problems are astronomical,” Johnson explains. But she says, “We will take care of our customers no matter what it takes.” And for that SCCDP and the Seward community praises Davisson Furniture.
To check out what Davisson furniture has to offer, stop by the store or check out their website. Products are being sold right off of the floor!
Information:
Location: 2767 Progressive Rd, Seward, NE 68434
Website: https://www.davissonfurniture.com/
Phone Number: (402) 643-3777
