Sedona Patio: Aims for bigger market share of Phoenix metro

Stories by Cinde W. Ingram -- Casual Living, 9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

At Sedona Patio, bigger sells best. Delivery of its massive, hand-forged iron collections at times requires a crane.

Sedona's overscaled Elite and Grande Elite collections are its most popular.

"The Grande and Grande Elite are our biggest and our most popular," said Barbara Daniels, Sedona Patio sales/interior design. "Our customers are very attracted to the great big double chaise with extra thick cushions. The fabric is all Sunbrella."

The Phoenix-based manufacturer of iron furniture, cushions and alternative tabletops opened the custom-made wrought-iron door to its first retail store in Scottsdale in July 2005 after owner Larry Dees bought the then 10-year-old company. Accessories scattered throughout the 8,000-sq.-ft. store are made by The Uttermost Company although a few are locally produced as an Exclusive Design by Kristi.

As its first year in retail progressed, five other Sedona Patio stores opened in shopping center locations. Those include a 17,000-sq.-ft. store in Glendale's Arrowhead area and smaller ones in Ahwetukee and Avondale plus two more in Las Vegas. Other Arizona stores are expected to open soon in Tucson and East Mesa.

Although customers outside Arizona have to arrange their own shipping, Sedona Patio sells its seven collections directly over the Internet. While spreading its retail footprint, Sedona Patio consolidated its production from several small plants into a single factory. In late June, it opened a 130,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and headquarters.

"Our main objective is to serve the Phoenix market," said Scott McCarroll, senior sales consultant. "We're looking to become a major competitor to the other retailers and manufacturers by offering a product with the best quality and a lifetime warranty."

The stores work with designers and send employees for home consultations, McCarroll said. "We're dealing with a lot of high-end clients," he said.

Sedona Patio has invested in big-ticket advertising to reach those clients. For example, viewers of the latest Super Bowl and American Idol series may have seen its name. It repeats in local TV and radio ads in connection with the Phoenix Suns, and its advertisements appear in regional shelter magazines, such as Phoenix Home & Garden and Arizona Foothills, promoted as the lifestyle magazine for affluent desert living.

Sedona Patio participated in the Phoenix Open golf tournament and the Harley Davidson and Hummer rally earlier this year.

"We like to keep customer-based relationships," McCarroll said. "And because we make the furniture here, we're also creating quite a few jobs."