FREE! TAKE ONE Footville celebrates
Independent Register 608•897•2193
100 years............................................ 2
•
Juda volleyball................................... 4 West Nile Virus.................................9
SHOPPING NEWS
922 W. EXCHANGE STREET, BRODHEAD, WI 53520
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid The IndependentRegister
Brodhead
**ecrwss Postal Customer
1 • Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 - The Independent-Register
Vest-A-Dog...................................... 12
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12, 2018
Monroe Furniture Center brings innovation, sustains quality after 31 years
your oven from your phone. Or you could have a signal sent to your phone saying that your laundry is done. It’s not even yearly updates. It’s monthly updates,” Beckman said. Another update is Scan to Cook technology. “If you go out and buy a frozen lasagna at the store, you take your phone and scan the barcode. It tells your oven what temperature to cook it at, how long to cook it for and it’s already programmed in,” Beckman said.
The store is starting to receive more requests for the smart technology and appliances. Beckman said the technology improvements started with televisions and has rocketed ever since. The store does carry some of the smart appliances. Beckman considers Phillips Furniture of Monroe and Pierce Furniture in Brodhead, his top local competitors. Beckman said, “ I owe a lot of gratitude to the people of the state line area.”
Beckman had a clearance center in Brodhead from 1997 to 2011. He bought out what was known as Jim’s Pool Tables and Furniture. The intent was to use it as a warehouse, but turned it into a clearance center instead. When Beckman built a new, spacious building on the West side of Monroe, he decided to close the clearance center and move the furniture back to Monroe. This move aided Beckman to manage his inventory in one location.
Green County, WE’RE HERE!
We’re here to provide you with quality Wireless Internet and we’re offering you great introductory prices.
29
Speeds up to 2M
99
$
/month
For The First 6 Months
79
Speeds up to 25M
99
$
/month
For The First 6 Months
39
Speeds up to 4M
Special
Owner Jerry Beckman has spent over 30 years in the furniture business.
ERICA GOKEY PHOTOS Brodhead Independent-Register
Monroe Furniture Center provides services to the state line area.
$
Special
Jerry Beckman was not always interested in selling furniture, but he did know that he wanted a job in retail. It all changed 31 years ago when he bought out an existing company out of Rockford, Ill. Beckman managed the store with another gentleman when an opportunity to be Assistant Manager at a store in Milwaukee presented itself. Beckman’s family was not sold on moving to Milwaukee, so they decided to buy out the other manager. Beckman said, “Certainly in 31 years there’s going to be some ups and downs. There are always challenges that come with running a business. Sometimes those challenges are minor and some are not so minor. We’ve gotten past whatever presented itself and
moved on.” Currently, Beckman employs around 19 people and said they all work very hard and believes that helps grows a business. Beckman said there is always a sale going on in his store. New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Black Friday are sales days that are the most dramatic for the store. Beckman is particularly proud of the Health and Wellness showroom of his store. “We’ve always sold lift chairs. If you go back 15 years ago we might have sold five lift chairs a year. Now we sell probably sell five to ten a week. People don’t look at lift chairs as something for handicapped people or elderly people anymore. They’re convenient,” Beckman said. Included in the Health and Wellness showroom are adjustable beds, foot massagers, mobility scooters and massage chairs. “Any way we can relieve stress for you, these are all ways help a person feel better. The massage chairs can help promote blood circulation,” Beckman said. The Health and Wellness showroom became a part of the store about a year and a half ago. Monroe does not deal with insurance when it comes to prescriptions for products. Some products that Beckman says are not as popular as they used to be are Curio cabinets, china hutches, and cedar chests. Power reclining furniture is becoming a popular item and Beckman projects that in the next five years. Monroe Furniture employees attended a seminar last week that updated them on the latest technology in appliances. Smart appliances have the ability to be programmed from a phone. “You can actually program
Special
STAFF WRITER
Special
By Erica Gokey
129
99 /month
For The First 6 Months
$
Speeds up to 60M
99
/month
For The First 6 Months
Special pricing good though September 30, 2018. Green & Lafayette counties only.
HOMETOWN SERVICE • UNLIMITED DATA Massage chairs were recently added to the Health and Wellness showroom.
Beckman said lift chairs are one of the most popular items the store sells.
TM
WIRELESS INTERNET
833-BTUSSEL bugtusselwireless.com
324063