By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
Steve Issis said he recently opened a fourth location of Issis & Sons under the same principle that has guided his 30-year career in the retail flooring and furniture business.
The new Issis & Sons-Greenbrier location in Vestavia Hills is a direct response to his customers’ needs, Issis said.
“We’ve always listened to what our customers wanted, and they want convenient locations,” he said. “We have four stores now, but they all follow the same philosophy–that our boss is the customer.”
Issis, who lives in Hoover with his wife of 20 years, Cynthia, and three children, ages 12-18, got his start in the business while he was still a teenager.
A native of Birmingham, Issis began laying carpet and tile as his own one-man company shortly after graduating from Ensley High School.
“I liked the work, and I learned that I really loved to please my customers,” he said. “So I did that for about three years and then in 1983, I decided to open the first store.”
From the beginning, the enterprise was a family business. Issis’ father, Odeh, took a chance on his young entrepreneurial son and helped him open the first Issis & Sons store in Pelham 30 years ago.
That first store in Pelham had about 1,000 square feet and a staff of two, Issis said.
“We really started this thing from the ground up, and we were doing all the hands-on work ourselves,” he said.
Issis and his father ran the company and worked together every day until Odeh passed away 11 years ago.
“I loved every minute of working with him,” Issis said. “I wouldn’t take anything for it.”
Issis said he learned a lot from his father about how to be successful in business and in life.
“He always told me to really think about things and make sure to do the right thing,” Issis said. “He told me to never do something to anyone that I wouldn’t want done back to me.”
The company also has another family connection, Issis said. He said two of his nephews have been working with him for several years and that some employees have been with the company so long, they are considered family.
The company kept growing and expanding until the Pelham store consisted of about 100,000-square feet of space.
“After that, a lot of our customers started wanting us to open a location in the Highway 280 area, so 12 years ago, we opened a 22,000-square-foot store in Greystone,” Issis said.
Issis then opened Issis & Sons Furniture Gallery to serve his customers in Pelham at Cahaba Valley Road and Alabama 119.
About four and half years ago, Issis said, he responded to suggestions from the designers he works with and expanded the company to offer furniture, drapes, accessories and more.
“It was right around the time the economy bottomed out, and our designers thought that our customers would respond to having things packaged and available all under one roof, so we expanded to offer the ‘nuts and bolts,'” he said.
Greenbrier Furniture closed earlier this year after 50 years in Vestavia Hills, and when the 28,000-square-foot landmark building became available, Issis said he took the opportunity to offer his customers another convenient Issis & Sons location.
“It’s a great location and will be great for our customers,” Issis said. “We’re happy to be in Vestavia Hills.”
Issis said the new location is called Issis & Sons-Greenbrier as a nod to the location’s history.
“The name pays homage to the past but offers a vision of the future,” he said.
Issis & Sons now has locations on Pelham Parkway, Greystone Boulevard, Cahaba Valley Road and U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills.
“We’ve gone from that first 1,000-square-foot space to four stores equal to about 200,000 square feet, and we offer everything from carpet and flooring to furniture and accessories,” Issis said.
Issis said his children are too young to think about taking over the reins of the family business, but it’s something the father of three admits he has pondered.
“It’s an opportunity for them, if that’s what they choose,” he said. “But yes, it would be pretty cool.”
For more information on Issis & Sons, visit issisandsons.com.
