Congratulations on a great feature article.
We wish the Berkowitz family, Gabriel and staff the very best success with the South Wharf store. We have already visited the store and it looks great.
The team at Nouveau Furniture.
Big business is still a family business
28 Sep 2010
If you’re shopping around for furniture and want the value and competitiveness that a big business brings, but still with that personalised service and family feel of a small business, then look no further than South Wharf’s Berkowitz store.
Manager Gabriel Atme and his staff at Berkowitz are ready and raring to give you the experience, which has been renowned since the Berkowitz family opened their first store in 1949.
Gabriel said that, because the Berkowitz family was one of the very few fully family-owned retailers, it knew and understood families, which meant it strives for quality and customer service.
“Our buyers travel the world for the best products and our retail philosophy for choosing staff is we rely on expertise and high experience. We believe that if you’re going to spend $4000 on a piece of furniture you should be able to know every little detail,” Mr Atme said.
With 25-year’s experience in the retail furniture industry, Gabriel leads a highly qualified team, which he refers to as “The Grey Army” and says Berkowitz believes in employing people who see furniture as their career not a passing job.
“Between us we would have close to 100 years expertise. A few of us have 25 years, someone else has 29 years and the youngest person we have on staff still has nine years,” Mr Atme said.
The focus on a family-run business is clear at Berkowitz, with director Peter Berkowitz calling Gabriel during the interview, while on holidays, to check how he was and that everything was running smoothly.
“That’s just the type of people they are. They’re very kind, sensitive human beings. They are great retailers and great bosses because they understand the needs of families, both clients and employees,” Mr Atme said.
Mr Atme said store patriarch Lionel Berkowitz was now 76 and retired but stayed involved at a personal level and was actually coming into the store to have a coffee and catch up with him the next day.
Berkowitz is focused on elegance, innovation, quality and value and all those values are prominent in their latest store, which breaks the mould of the traditional Berkowitz furniture store.
“This is our first Berkowitz Studio store and it has more of a focus on apartment living and modern pieces for the more contemporary buyer,” Mr Atme said.
Drop into Berkowitz South Wharf for a truly refreshing retail experience.
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