Lora and Perry are the dynamic duo behind PerLora.
To complement our blog about Perry, we talked to Lora about growing up in the furniture industry, her motivations and inspirations, and what she finds to be her secret to success.
Lora’s Background
While she was growing up, Lora’s parents owned a furniture store that seemed larger than life. With a big imagination and a big furniture store to explore, she experienced the ins and outs of an industry she would grow into, experimenting with design from a young age, “My favorite thing was when my Dad would bring home large boxes and I would make a house out of them, complete with a welcome mat.” She was the hit of the neighborhood, and everyone wanted to come play.
Before working at her dad’s business, Lora received her MBA, which she says has helped immensely while managing and running multiple businesses during her career. In addition, while working with her father, she had the opportunity to study at Parsons School of Design in New York, giving her more insight into the history of furniture design, room planning, and color theory.
From the creation and execution of the PerLora business plan, to the wholesale company All U Can Handle, Lora’s experiences, education, and business savvy have proven invaluable to her growth as a businesswoman.
From Then to Now…
“Our business is all about solving problems, building relationships and making people happy. Those were the values my dad instilled in me.” Lora says that her dad is her daily inspiration, “I always want to make him proud. He taught me to treat everyone the way that I would like to be treated,” she says.
It’s no surprise then that Lora’s secret to success is good listening skills, connecting with customers of all ages, and making sure that the customer experience is memorable.
Since opening the store, a lot has changed, “Really nothing in life stays the same,” Lora says. “I love that there are new challenges to face and navigate. If we are doing the same things that we did when we opened the store, we would be stuck in time. I like to think that we get better every year.”
She adds, “In today’s world of media consumption and information, it is now more important than every to provide our customers with a memorable experience.” Lora loves people, and loves getting to know them, which sets the experience at PerLora apart.