Manhattan Broadcasting senior marketing consultant Amber Potter wrote the following letter to celebrate the retirement of Furniture Warehouse owner Steve Williams. His store at 2326 Skyvue Lane will soon be home to the Flint Hills Breadbasket.
Quitting Business Sale…
At least that’s what Steve at Furniture Warehouse decided to call it. I hardly call it quitting after
41 years. Quitting has such a negative connotation to it. Perhaps “Calling it Quits” or the “Final
Days of Savings” would have been more appropriate. I’ve sat in his office for 11 years now
helping him come up with and name his promotions. I wish he would have consulted with me
one last time on this one.
I digress. What I’m really here to say is this:
I think Steve would rather ride off in to the sunset quietly. But I feel one last tribute to his
success and serving the community for 41 years is appropriate before he does. Steve believed in
building relationships with his customers and the community. He’ll tell you that’s what kept
them coming back over the years. The number of people who’ve stopped by in his last two and
half months of business to show their support one last time, share a story, or just wish him and
Ann well have been a testament to that.
He served the community well and he gave his time in various areas. I know he was quite fond of the time he served on the board for CASA and he’s worked with the Riley County Police department to supply beds to kids/families in need. I can only imagine how many he’s helped and we’ll never know. In fact, he could have chosen anyone to purchase his prime real estate, but he chose The Breadbasket so they could better serve the community.
Because that’s the kind of guy Steve is…he quietly helps where he sees a need. I’ve lost many clients for various reasons over the last 17 years as a Marketing Consultant in media sales. But this one definitely hurts the most. Steve…thank you for all that you’ve done as a local business and for your service to the community. Thank you for being so much more than a client. You’ve become a trusted source of advice and encouragement not just for me, but many through the years.
I think I speak for the masses when I say we wish you the best in retirement! I’m sure that first cup of coffee watching the sunrise over Table Rock will taste better knowing that there’s not a problem waiting for you to fix back at the store!
Amber Potter
Sr. Marketing Consultant
Manhattan Broadcasting
Seaton Publishing
