Quality and friendly service offered at Andover store

Andover - Southern hospitality and good old fashioned honesty set Andover’s Quality Furniture of North Carolina apart from other furniture stores. Friends Jerry Snipes and Kim Weber opened the store located on Route 206 two months ago. Where does the honesty and hospitality come from? Jerry Snipes said. “I shoot it straight. I got the product you need in our store. If not, you’re welcome to go somewhere else and get lied to,” he said. His motto is “Go check out the rest, and then come to the best.” Snipes was born and raised in North Carolina. Though he spends a good deal of time in New Jersey, he still calls it home. His wife and 3 children are there. Snipes has been selling furniture from his home state for more than 22 years. He started out as a peddler selling roadside out of his truck, ending that phase of his retail career in 1987. Since then he has worked in furniture stores around New Jersey, including 6 years ago as manager at the location he and Weber now own. Prior to opening the store, he was working at a furniture store in Sayerville, but decided it was time to have his own store and quit. “I got tired of working for another guy.” Weber has been a police officer for 15 years, and currently works at the Union County Sheriffs Office. “Jerry has been friends with my husband Mark and myself for three years now. When he’s up here, he lives with us.” They met at the Sayerville store. Weber and her husband live in Mt. Bethel, Pa. “When Jerry said he wanted to open his own store, it just felt like it was the right time, and this the right place. Jerry was very successful when he was manager here,” said Weber. Weber works in the store on the weekends and on her days off. Their confidence in their furniture comes from several sources. For one, Snipes picks out and picks up the furniture himself. “We’re not affiliated with any other North Carolina stores,” explained Snipes. He personally visits each of the furniture manufacturers and selects the pieces he feels are just right for their store. “Jerry deals directly with the manufacturers. And by driving the furniture up here himself, we don’t have the 14 percent freight charge other furniture stores have to charge, which keeps our prices down,” explained Weber. “We also try to stick to strictly “Made in the USA” products. If we don’t have what you’re looking for in the store, we can order it for you.” Snipes picks up those special orders on his trips as well. Their sales approach is very laid back. “When you come into our store, we greet you, and tell you we’re here if you need help,” said Weber. She is proud of their style in contrast to the “pouncing” approach that other stores have. “Even if you tell them you’re just browsing, they only leave you alone for five minutes before they’re on you again.” Weber tells of a couple who came in for two ottomans around 4 p.m. one Saturday, and didn’t leave till 8:30 p.m., a half hour after their closing time. “People like our down-home friendly approach. We get a lot of repeat customers.” Quality Furniture of North Carolina carries bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture. Though they don’t offer financing, they will help you to get what you need and work within your budget. They also do gift certificates, deliveries and will remove your old furniture if it’s in decent shape- they donate it to local churches. For more information you can call them at 973-383-5118.