General Manager (Asheville)

General Manager — Home Furnishings Retail

About the Company

Our client is a well-established, privately owned home furnishings retailer with multiple showroom locations and an integrated warehouse and delivery operation. The company has built a strong reputation for its distinctive showroom experience, personalized service, and commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience.

The business offers a broad range of home furnishings and décor, including furniture, upholstery, lighting, rugs, accessories, outdoor furnishings, and related home products. Its curated assortment combines recognized national brands with unique and locally sourced offerings and serves homeowners, interior designers, builders, and other residential customers.

The company manages a significant portion of the customer experience internally, from product selection and ordering through inventory management and final delivery. This integrated approach allows the business to provide a highly personalized, relationship-driven experience while maintaining control over service, quality, and execution.

The Opportunity

As the company continues to evolve its leadership structure, our client is seeking an experienced General Manager to oversee day-to-day operations across its retail locations and supporting operations.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership position for an experienced furniture-retail professional who understands the operational complexity of a high-ticket, service-oriented business. The General Manager will have meaningful responsibility for sales performance, people, inventory, operating standards, financial performance, and the overall customer experience.

The General Manager will work closely with store leadership, sales associates, design professionals, warehouse and delivery teams, vendors, and ownership to build a consistent, profitable, and well-run organization.

What You'll Do

Financial & Operating Performance

• Own revenue, profitability, and operating performance across the business
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to sales, margins, inventory, labor, customer service, and operating expenses
• Manage budgets, labor plans, and expense controls
• Regularly report business performance and recommended actions to ownership

Sales Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, hire, train, and develop sales and operational teams
• Strengthen consultative, relationship-based selling within a commissioned sales environment
• Establish performance expectations and accountability across locations
• Develop current and future leaders throughout the organization
• Foster a culture centered on teamwork, customer service, and results

Showroom & Merchandising

• Oversee showroom presentation and execution across locations
• Partner with leadership and merchandising teams on floor sets, product presentation, and showroom updates
• Coordinate merchandising initiatives around new products, seasonal priorities, and promotional activity
• Manage clearance, markdowns, and aged inventory

Inventory, Warehouse & Delivery

• Oversee the customer order lifecycle from sale through final delivery
• Maintain effective inventory controls and processes
• Monitor vendor lead times, special orders, damages, and claims
• Oversee warehouse operations and delivery performance
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, service levels, and operating costs

Business Administration & Purchasing

• Oversee payroll, scheduling, cash handling, and other administrative processes
• Participate in purchasing, assortment planning, and vendor negotiations
• Maintain productive relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and other business partners
• Attend industry markets and events as appropriate

What You'll Bring

• Multi-location management experience in furniture retail
• Proven success leading sales teams and driving revenue and profitability
• Experience working in a commissioned or performance-based sales environment
• Understanding of furniture retail operations, including inventory, warehousing, and delivery
• Familiarity with special orders, floor samples, freight issues, and bulky-goods inventory
• Strong financial and analytical skills, with the ability to understand business reports and translate results into action
• Experience with a furniture retail ERP or comparable business-management system
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft 365, particularly Excel
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly between company locations

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of furniture merchandising and residential interiors
• Established relationships with furniture manufacturers and vendors
• Experience improving processes within an entrepreneurial, privately held business
• Demonstrated ability to balance financial discipline and operational accountability with a strong focus on people and customer relationships
• Hands-on leadership style with the ability to move effectively between strategic planning and daily execution

Leadership Profile

The ideal candidate will be a practical, metrics-driven operator who enjoys leading people and improving businesses . This individual should be comfortable taking ownership, making decisions, holding teams accountable, and working directly with ownership and employees at all levels.

Success in this role will require a combination of furniture-industry knowledge, operational discipline, sales leadership, financial acumen, and strong relationship-building skills .