Rent-to-own News - Baber's wins Tupelo National Buyer Appreciation Award

Baber's President Shannon Strunk.

Last Friday, Pascagoula-based rent to own company Baber's became the Tupelo Furniture Market's 2010 National Buyer Appreciation Award Winner.

Before that, only two of the previous 42 winners hailed from Mississippi.

Baber's Inc. became the third Magnolia State winner, getting the coveted award in front of hundreds of attendees at a Friday night ceremony at the market, according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

The Pascagoula-based rent-to-own retailer was founded in 1959. It now has 51 stores in five southeastern states.

Baber's has sent buyers to Tupelo since the first market in 1988 and company officials say it has been an important part of their growth and success.

"The Tupelo Furniture Market has been a partner," Baber's President Shannon Strunk told the Journal. "It's part of why we're here. We've developed a relationship with many of the companies here. We got a lot of our ideas in the beginning from people at the market."

Now in its third generation as a family business, Baber's also has other retail operations, including nine Rent-n-Roll wheel and tire stores and two Furnish 1-2-3 furniture stores.

But the bread-and-butter of the company is its namesake stores, which have gotten much of their inventory through the years at the Tupelo Furniture Market.

"Tupelo has grown with us," said CEO Cynthia Baber-Strunk. "We are a Mississippi company and we're just very honored to be here." Cynthia is a current member of the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations' Board of Directors.

Sheldon Strunk is the chief buyer for the company and lauded Tupelo.

"We've been coming here for 22 years, and it's a very easy market to work," he said.

While it's known for its promotional furniture offerings, the market also offers more for buyers and retailers, Shannon Strunk said.

"Customers want to have the things they see everyone else have, and we can get those products in Tupelo," he said.

The Strunks are also committed to economic development closer to home and are spearheading development of a 413,000-square-foot mixed-use development, Strunk Centre, in Pascagoula that will provide 140 temporary and 400 permanent jobs in the retail, restaurant and commercial sectors.

The center concept began with a desire to contribute to the revitalization of Pascagoula in the wake of hurricane Katrina and will provide Pascagoula and Jackson County a much needed expansion of industrial office space, commercial office space, retail, and residential areas.

"Baber's has been very good to us," said TFM owner and CEO V.M. Cleveland. "We've kind of grown together, and it was really a no-brainer to select them as the award winner."


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