Page 17 - Hanford Chamber Memberhsip Packet

WELCOME
NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS

THE HISTORY

ROBINSON'S INTERIORS IS A STORY ABOUT A SMALL TOWN YOUNG MAN, FURNITURE, AND FLOOR COVERING.
IT BEGINS IN THE LATE-60S, 15-YEAR-OLD MIKE ROBINSON, WENT TO WORK FOR GORDON AND PAT BLUE WHO
OWNED HANFORD FURNITURE. FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS, MIKE WORKED HARD SETTING UP DISPLAYS, RUN-
NING DELIVERIES, AND MAKING SALES. HE NEVER TOOK A VACATION, AND HE LEARNED A WHOLE LOT ABOUT

THE FURNITURE BUSINESS.
FINALLY, AT 29, HE TOOK A VACATION OR WHAT HE CALLS THE “TRIP OF A LIFETIME!” MIKE SPENT THREE
MONTHS TRAVELING AROUND EUROPE. WHEN HE RETURNED TO HANFORD, HE WASN’T SURE WHAT HE
WANTED TO DO. SO HE VOLUNTEERED FOR A YEAR AT A CAMP FOR TROUBLED BOYS. TO SUPPORT HIMSELF,
HE STARTED A SIDE BUSINESS AS A CONTRACTOR INSTALLING DRAPERIES.

TRUSTING MIKE

SOON PEOPLE WERE ASKING MIKE TO DO MORE THAN INSTALL DRAPERIES. THEY WANTED HIM TO DESIGN THE
DRAPERIES AND ORDER THEM. THEY ALSO WANTED HIM TO PROVIDE CARPET. PEOPLE TRUSTED MIKE.

ROBINSON RECALLED, “ONE DAY, WHEN MY GARAGE WAS FULL OF CARPET AND MY SPARE BEDROOM WAS
FULL OF DRAPERIES, I WENT DOWN TO CHINATOWN AND RENTED A SPACE. I STARTED MY FLOOR COVERING
BUSINESS WITH A $35 INVESTMENT AND A HANDSHAKE WITH MY LANDLORD.”

HE SHARED ONE DESK WITH HIS SECRETARY AND HAD ONE INSTALLER TO HELP HIM. THAT WAS IN 1980. THAT
WAS THE FIRST LOCATION OF ROBINSON'S INTERIORS.
MIKE ROBINSON PASSED AWAY IN 2019 RUNNING MULTIPLE BUSINESSES AND HAVING NEARLY 100 EMPLOY-
EES. HIS TWO YOUNGEST SONS, LUKE AND JAKE, BEGAN WORKING FOR THEIR FATHER IN 2015 AND HAVE NOW
TAKEN THE HELM. THEY ARE SUPPORTED BY A TEAM OF SEASONED, LOYAL, AND COMPETENT EMPLOYEES.

FROM THE CHAMBER

WHEN SPEAKING WITH THEIR YOUNGEST SON, JAKE, HE WANTED TO JOIN THE CHAMBER TO GET INVOLVED
WITH THE COMMUNITY AND FOLLOW THE LEGACY OF HIS FATHER. MIKE WAS VERY INVOLVED WITH THE COM-
MUNITY AND LOVED THIS GREAT CITY OF HANFORD. WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE THE ROBINSON’S AS A CHAM-
BER MEMBER AND LOOK FORWARD TO OUR PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS!