Most people spend more time at work than they do at home. If they are spending that much time in a space, employees want it to be both comfortable and functional, and employers want it to be sustainable, attractive, and affordable. Thankfully, Choice Office Furniture can check the boxes on both sides with its incredible selection of both new and used furniture.
Since 2004, Choice Office Furniture has provided Calgary with products from the best manufacturers. Original owner Trish Mathieson left her position with Ducky’s Office Furniture to strike out on her own and create Choice with daughter Elizabeth. They moved the business from their home office into a small store in the northeast and then in 2010 they essentially came home; Ducky’s closed and the Mathiesons took over the space on 11 Street and 58 Avenue SE.
“They moved into this location because it was a well-known furniture location for many years thanks to Ducky’s. We have been here ever since,” says Clint Korchinski, president and owner of Choice Office Furniture.
The company grew and flourished, filling a niche in the Calgary marketplace. When Clint Korchinski was ready to leave his career as an energy trader to pursue his entrepreneurial dream of owning his own business, he searched for a company that was healthy, robust and set up for success. The Mathiesons were selling just such a company so Korchinski and his wife, Patricia, jumped at the chance to buy it. In 2015, the Korchinskis took over ownership while Trish remained on as senior outside sales representative and Elizabeth accepted the position as operations manager. The transition was somewhat seamless and Korchinski hit the ground running.
“I’m relatively new to this industry but I’m very hands on. I’ll work in the warehouse, I’m updating the website, working on marketing campaigns, I’m going on site to do measurements, I’m quoting, doing some selling, and generating AutoCAD drawings, so I’ve learned the business from top to bottom in the past four years,” Clint says. Patricia manages all the finances and accounting.
Over the past 15 years, the business has become a popular destination for office furniture needs for companies in Calgary as well as Red Deer, Edmonton, Grande Prairie and recently Toronto. The full-service dealership offers both new and previously owned furniture with a range of options including rental, lease to own, and financing to make the process easier. Choice also offers service in all aspects of the business including delivery, installation, repair, space planning and project management. Korchinski and his team proudly see their projects through from the first meeting to installation and all points in between.
Clients call or come into the 24,000 square foot showroom to peruse the wide selection of office chairs, cabinets, desks, reception furniture, and cubicles. As new styles and colours emerge, Choice regularly updates the showroom to reflect what clients are looking for. The showroom also displays a range of price points and styles to ensure customers can find the piece that fits their needs.
Some clients arrive planning on buying new furniture but opt for previously owned pieces that look brand new, all for a fraction of the price. Clients can also mix and match new and used furniture to achieve the look they want while coming in under budget. Others are drawn to the modern, trendy furniture displayed in the new furniture showroom, where clients can test out soft seating, the modern reception set up, ergonomic multi-adjust chairs, and sit-stand desks for themselves before making a final decision. Decisions can be difficult given the vast options available on these pieces. As a result, most of the products are made to order. Clients can customize the furniture, choosing from a rainbow of available colours and different sizes to ensure it’s a perfect fit in the space. The showroom boasts a wall of samples to help clients make the best choice for their purchase and the staff is happy to guide customers through the showroom and beyond to find the right furniture.
“On top of 14,000 square feet of previously owned furniture, we have 10,000 square feet of new product showroom. It’s a fraction of the product we have access to. We can’t display everything we carry in here,” he says.
Choice Office Furniture affords every client the same high level of service. It provides attractive product and package options for home offices, small and mid-sized businesses, and it can also accommodate the needs of a larger entity. Choice works closely with architects and designers to find the ideal office setup for multi-floor projects or substantial builds and redesigns.
For those larger projects, like the new Brookfield YMCA at Seton, Choice visits the site to assess the space and aid in planning the design. The staff determines client tastes and budget and then uses AutoCAD to draw the potential furniture into the space. They can present clients with a 2D or 3D rendering of what their space would ultimately look like.
During the process, the knowledgeable staff walks clients through the offerings of the various quality brands Choice Office Furniture deals with to help them fine-tune their new look. The dealership has great relationships with the manufacturers and can often get stock shipped within a week or two. Choice promotes Canadian-manufactured brands like Heartwood, Artopex and Links to bring a full spectrum of products to clients.
Choice partners with these brands not only to support Canadian business – they also offer quality desks, soft seating, meeting tables, reception desks and chairs that are built to last to ensure Choice’s clients are happy with their new office. After all, Choice is focused on customer service and strives for total customer satisfaction with every sale, large or small.
“We want our customers to be happy. Our dedicated clients are the backbone of our business. We’ve had a lot of repeat business and we appreciate it and want to continue that for years to come,” he says.
Clients recognize the unique service that Choice provides and appreciate the one-stop nature of the company. With an often same-day response time for inquiries and an impressively quick turnaround on orders, the company has become a preferred choice for office furniture.
“We are a small company and yet we do big things,” Clint Korchinski says.
As it celebrates 15 years and looks forward to the opportunities of the future, big things are surely in store for Choice Office Furniture.