Sisters retailer takes 'leap of faith'

The recession that has gripped Sisters Country for these past four years and more has driven some businesses to close their doors and others to contract.

Not Sisters Log Furniture & Home Decor.

Owner Chris Wilder has taken what he freely calls "a leap of faith" and opened a second "outpost" store in Sisters. The Sisters Log Furniture Outpost is located just up the block and across Cascade Avenue from his headquarters store and focuses mostly on the bedroom furniture side of the business.

"We thought it was a good marketing segment to branch off," Wilder explained. "Honestly, it's an expansion of the main site... it's just a department under Sisters Log Furniture."

Most of the material is bedroom furniture - bedsteads, nightstands, dressers, lighting fixtures - but there is also a new line of cedar fence art, with rural images transferred to cedar fence slats to make pictures of suitcase size on up to large panels. (They also make the store smell most woodsy.)

Creating the Outpost has allowed Wilder to gain much-needed floor space that actually allows both stores to display their wares more attractively.

"I want to give our shoppers a better shopping experience, too," he said.

Wilder believes his timing is good.

"We've hung in through the recession," he said. "This was the logical next step."

Much of his business is from people redecorating their home or decorating a new place - so it is affected, like many other businesses, by the condition of the real estate market. Wilder is hopeful that a better wind is blowing in Sisters Country.

"I don't know if it's a turnaround - I'm not a real estate agent," he said. "But I hear that homes are starting to sell again."

And there are advantages to opening a new store where there has been empty space.

"It's hopefully an opportunity to capture some rates that may not be here in the future," he said.

Wilder admits that it would have been easier if he could have accessed adjacent space for his expansion. He's had to duplicate credit card machines and point-of-sale computers and there are some logistical challenges. But with good communication among staff, he feels having the new facility will better serve his customers and strengthen his nearly 5-year-old business.

Sisters Log Furniture & Home Décor is located at 121 W. Cascade Ave. Sisters Log Furniture Outpost is located at 200 W. Cascade Ave. For more information call 541-549-8191.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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