Official Press Release: Monday, September 20, 1999 Casual Marketplace Wins Top Retailing Honor Chicago, Illinois - Casual Marketplace in Hockessin, Delaware, has been named the finest single-store retailer of casual furnishings in the nation by the Summer and Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association (SCFMA). Store owners Petey and Harold Fleischut and manager Glenna Pruitt were presented with the prestigious Apollo Award at the casual industry's annual gala on September 18th during the National Casual Furnishings Market in Chicago, as more than a thousand industry colleagues cheered. The golden Apollo statuette is the Academy Award of the casual furniture industry, annually honoring exceptional presentation and selection of merchandise, oustanding customer service, and excellence in business acumen among casual specialty retailers since 1984. The statuette of the sun god Apollo will be on display at Casual Marketplace. Competition for an Apollo award is rigorous. Every June, each of the 75 members of the SCFMA nominates five retailers, in order of preference, whom that company deems outstanding in sales management, advertising, display, growth, and service. From these hundreds of nominees, the ten garnering the highest scores become finalists. The day before the Casual Furnishings Market opens, the sponsoring manufacturer for each of the ten finalists makes a case for its nominee. A secret ballot follows with the winner not revealed until the industry dinner. Casual Marketplace has delighted area consumers from its opening day four years ago. Housed in a three-story wooden mill built in 1872 that exudes charm, the store showcases the finest lines of casual furniture for indoor and out, interesting accessories and unique gift items, attractive hearth products, and handsome holiday decor in a setting that is abundant with appeal and style. Nothing on the sales floor is "run-of-the-mill." Neither is the service. Owner Petey Fleischut subscribes to "a Nordstrom's philosophy," which involves routinely exceeding customer expectations. Therefore, amenities like free delivery within an hour radius of the store and to the Delaware and Maryland beaches - same day, if needed - as well as free gift-wrapping are standard. The store routinely locates parts, helps with warranty problems, makes repairs, and more, whether or not a customer originally purchased the product involved at Casual Marketplace. There are five highly-trained, knowledgeable salespeople on the showroom floor at all times. Staff members even make home visits to help store customers decorate in style. Many staffers are former customers who simply enjoy working in such pleasant surroundings. The symbiotic talents of Fleischut, her husband, and Pruitt are key in raising this store a notch above others. Fleischut focuses on merchandising and customer service. Harold specializes in marketing and finance. Pruitt concentrates on store management and the company's website. Community participation and service are also a priority at Casual Marketplace. The store is extremely active locally, routinely donating products and services for auctions, garden tours, show houses, and other good causes. Fleischut, a former nurse, got into the outdoor furniture business in 1984, simply because she could not find furniture for their newly-built home at the Jersey shore. They lived in York, Pennsylvania, at the time. She thought, "I should really start a casual furniture store at the beach." And, so, she did, opening The Sand Piper. Though her original intention was to keep this store open just three months a year, consumer demand soon pushed that to seven. This meant totally rearranging her life. The drive from York to North Wildwood, New Jersey, where The Sand Piper was located, was four hours. But she did it. Four years later, Harold, an electronics executive, was transferred to Delaware, cutting Fleischut's Jersey commute in half. The Sand Piper continued to grow, tripling in size. The commute remained tedious. In 1995, Fleischut discovered that Hockessin Hardware was closing and launched Casual Marketplace in that prime retail space. Within a year, she had sold The Sand Piper, cut her commute from hours to minutes, and thrown her considerable energies into her new venture. Fleischut's focus on superb merchandise, knowledgeable sales help, abundant service, and elegant display made the store a star from the beginning. Customers drive from as far away as Baltimore, Philadelphia, western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and further north to purchase from her. So, it is clear that the casual furniture industry's recognition has confirmed what area consumers have known for years: Casual Marketplace is one terrific place to shop.