The Bedford Hills, New York location of Country Willow encompasses more than 30,000 square feet of space of beautiful furniture and home decor showrooms. Originally specializing in selling rural style & country furniture, the store has expanded through the years to provide a wide variety of styles from high end domestic and international suppliers.
Country Willow has come a long way since its founding by Cori and Roy Estrow in a modest 1,000 square foot Katonah, New York business. Celebrating its silver anniversary a couple years ago, Country Willow now calls home a spacious facility featuring the latest in home decorating and furnishing trends.
After Roy’s passing in 2018, his nephew Michael Leibowitz took over as CEO. “We kept true to the original country and country French style,” he adds. “When we expanded, we were able to incorporate many new design elements, including those that blur the boundaries between periods. The current combination is a good balance. You will still find some rustic decor here. Some customers, misled by the store’s name, assume that we sell nothing but rustic furniture when, in fact, this is far from the case. There is a wide variety of newer and more contemporary styles, such as Mid-Century Modern and Scandinavian, now on our showroom floor.”
Leibowitz claims that Country Willow’s competitive edge over chain furniture stores lies in its commitment to utmost quality and premium service, which has been maintained from the store’s very beginning days. When compared to its rivals, Country Willow offers a unique shopping experience and is managed differently. (Under the auspices of an ESOP, Country Willow is run by its employees who are also its de facto owners.)
In this day and age of online buying and mass production, the Country Willow retail experience seems doomed to extinction. According to Leibowitz, customers feel like part of the family after receiving such attentive service.
The store’s designers and salespeople are trained to help customers find exciting new pieces for their homes, but the designers also excel at learning about each individual’s preferences and working with them to help make their dreams a reality through the use of unique custom furniture and comprehensive, free design services.
According to Leibowitz, “the specialty has always been custom” at Country Willow with customers able to select their desired level of hardness for cushions and pillows, as well as select from a wide variety of fabric options, furniture sizes and styles. Everything is designed to be personalized, and Country Willow offers a little something extra for the consumer who wants to make their experience perfect.
Customers seeking for more than just furniture can benefit from the store’s many free design services, which can help them plan the entire appearance and feel of a room, house, condo or apartment.
In order to help customers better visualize how their new furniture will look in their homes, Country Willow offers free in-home consultations during which an expert will measure the room, take detailed digital measurements, and produce a 3D rendering. Customers can also help the designer get a better feel for the space by bringing into the showroom their own measurements and images.
Customers can even have a designer help them finish the look by selecting from Country Willow’s extensive selection of rugs, lighting, window treatments, chandeliers, mirrors, and artwork.
The business has always catered to the more traditional home, but in recent years it has expanded and opened The Loft at CW to appeal to a younger demographic that may be more likely to be renting smaller rooms and have less traditional tastes.
As Leibowitz says, Country Willow’s slogan is “furniture for life.” The staff at Country Willow aim to supply furniture of the highest quality and design, and their prices reflect that.
Leibowitz says, “We have some starter apartment-sized items for apartment-starter pricing. And then we have all the other options to consider. I believe that our capacity to offer unique designs makes us somewhat appealing to a different customer, albeit we do our best to cater to everyone. In other words, we are not a bargain retailer. This is unquestionably furniture of a higher standard. But I think we have a broad enough appeal that we can serve everyone from people who are budget-conscious to the customer who is very specific with what they want. There are a lot of people coming up from New York City to this area to shop.”
Country Willow’s main showroom caters to all these preferences, while the Loft showcases industrial, urban, mid-century modern, and Nordic designs.
As Leibowitz puts it, “Mid-century modern is very popular right now. I think that what we’re seeing more of is contemporary and a little bit of the sleeker modern. The flip side is that there are many new performance fabrics being introduced to the market, which will allow regular people who have children, pets, and other potential spillers to enjoy a high-quality furniture piece without worrying about potential damage.”
Leibowitz is confident in the niche that Country Willow fills in the local furniture market despite supply-chain jams and natural disasters in recent years, customers who are increasingly becoming accustomed to shopping at home and receiving their purchase in two days, and competition from companies that can cut costs by compromising quality.
“There is an aura about this place that you won’t get anywhere else when shopping for home furnishings.”
Read What Shoppers Are Saying About Country Willow
“I just got my furniture delivery this week and the entire experience has been a really good one. The farm table and chairs is probably the most beautiful thing in our entire home. We went to a lot of stores and it gets pretty confusing. In the end we went with Country Willow, because we wanted American made and we didn’t want anything unhealthy used in its construction. We live a pretty green, healthy life, and we wanted all our furniture to be the same, and they were able to answer all our questions and give us information of how everything was made. They also have a big beautiful store so it was actually a really nice place just to be in and shop… and I hate shopping.”
“Purchased a beautiful sectional sofa from Country Willow. Many fabrics to choose from and a knowledgeable, friendly staff. The Store is beautiful and filled with many different styles of furniture. Will definitely be a returning customer.”
“Had a great experience ordering our new sectional. The designer who assisted us was very helpful in making decisions and helping with the price.”
“This store is a dream. It has everything you could want and more. Staff is super helpful. It’s been a wonderful experience working with our designer.”
“We had a great experience at Country Willow from beginning to end. Our designer was very helpful and knowledgeable. We purchased a beautiful, insanely comfortable, and high quality U-shaped sectional for our living room. She even did a floor plan for us to help guide us on size & shape of a coffee table, side table, etc., and I have referenced it many times. Country Willow has a large and curated selection of furniture and accessories while catering to different design aesthetics. We are lucky to have this gem of a furniture store right in our neighborhood.”
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