Legendary Businessman Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, is a man of faith. So on the night of May 21, 2009 ("A day I'll never forget") when his Houston warehouse went up in flames and destroyed $10 million worth of furniture, he knew he would be okay. "It was a defining moment for Gallery Furniture and I never doubted that we would build better than ever." And he did, reopening the warehouse just 44 days later. Mattress Mack who gave himself the nickname to help sell furniture spoke at the Southeast Texas Business Expo in Beaumont Thursday about how perseverance, faith in God, and family and friends helped him overcome that tragic night.
The businessman best known for his tagline "Gallery Furniture save you money" says he received more than 5,000 cards, letters, and emails from customers and residents alike telling him "don't give up."
"We were knocked down, but failure was not in our vocabulary," he says. The ordeal taught him that faith in God has the power to sustain you and he realized that he has the most loyal and hardworking staff in the furniture business.
He says when he was feeling down, he played his favorite song,Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop." The lyrics are "if you wake up and don't wanna smile, don't stop thinking about tomorrow."
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