In 1966, Elsa Rezene brought her entrepreneurial spirit to Minnesota from Eritrea, Africa. Before founding the longest-running black-owned furniture business in Minneapolis-St. Paul, she honed her sales craft offering beads, incense and jewelry. A generation later, Tetra carries on his mother’s legacy, treating customers like family by embracing the lost art of customer service. While trends come and go, operations have remained the same at Elsa’s – sometimes creating liabilities to the bottom line.
To help Tetra navigate the realities of a changing industry, Deluxe called on Maurice Blanks, co-founder and COO of Blu Dot, an award-winning furniture and design company based in Minneapolis. In addition to Maurice’s expertise, the team from Deluxe aims to create a new look for Elsa’s brand across all customer touchpoints within the store, online and delivery. See how Tetra and team react to the suggested changes, as this beloved neighborhood store maneuvers through its biggest transformation ever.