Building Dreams: A Family Legacy

Through growing their furniture business, the Wilson family
has reaped many rewards and opportunities
by Mitzi Dowd

Paul Wilson, John Wilson, Sharon Wilson, J.D. Wilson and Adam Wilson

Customer-first. Integrity. Positive attitude. Growth mindedness. These are the core beliefs that started, built, and continue to grow the Wilson family business. Being a part of a growing family business brings rewards and opportunities only as grand as the future vision of its leaders. Red River Home, led by brothers J.D., Paul and Adam Wilson, is as grand and genuine an organization as they come.

Being growth-minded has always been a goal for the Wilson family. In 2018, Ashley HomeStore, located in Texarkana, underwent a major remodeling project to see their vision for the store come to fruition.

Wilson’s Furniture and Appliance was founded in 1978 in Hope, Arkansas, by their father, John Wilson. Today the business encompasses eight locations, including Four States Furniture in Hope and Texarkana; Ashley HomeStore locations in Texarkana, Paris, Sherman and Greenville; America’s Mattress in Texarkana; and a regional distribution center in Texarkana.

This 2002 newspaper clipping shows Wilson Furniture & Appliance received Best Furniture Store honors for Hope/Hempstead County.  Pictured are: (seated) Pat Faris, Ronnie Hankins, Mandy Ware and Sharon Wilson; (standing) Drake Butler, Paul Wilson, John Wilson, Adam Wilson, J.D. Wilson and Joe Duke.

John Wilson dipped his toes in the furniture business while he was a mail carrier for USPS. To make more money for his growing family, he began selling and delivering furniture and appliances from a small location after completing his mail route. As the small endeavor grew, his wife, Sharon, worked the store during the day, and he made the deliveries in the evening— mostly bedroom and dining-room furniture, as well as appliances. All three sons contributed: whether it was loading and unloading furniture, making deliveries, or selling, they worked and learned every detail of the business. Having “integrity, always doing the right thing, and treating other people as you want to be treated” are the most important characteristics J.D. learned growing up in the family business, he said, and he strives to model and pass along those traits to his children and everyone at Red River Home today.

John Wilson started Wilson’s Furniture and Appliance, in Hope, Arkansas, in 1978.

In 2003, the Wilsons partnered with Ashley Furniture Industries to open Ashley HomeStore in Texarkana. AFI has revolutionized the furniture industry, becoming America’s No. 1 furniture store and a top-selling mattress partner for many national brands. The Ashley factory-direct model means less overhead for the company and the ability to deliver more value to the consumer. In 2007, Four States Furniture in Texarkana was opened, and additional Ashley locations followed between 2017 and 2021. 

Today, Red River Home employs over 150 people, including manager Jordan Pittman. Jordan started with the company as a product specialist, and today she is the store manager of the newest store in Greenville. Jordan was recently honored as the Red River Home Core Ambassador of the Year. “Training from our management and leadership teams, support from Paul, J.D. and Adam, and the teamwork from so many individuals in our operations department have made any success I’ve had possible,” she said. “I love what I do. The best part of this year has been watching the growth of so many team members with our Red River Home family.” 

Consumers today have many choices regarding where and how to shop: local or out-of-town, in-person or online. It is the goal at every Red River Home location to deliver a first-in-class experience for each guest, with team members who are rewarded and advanced by a company who cares.

This dedication to fostering the dreams of others and building a better life for all is at the center of Red River Home. Their core vision statement reads, “Enriching lives with furniture for every home”; this guides both daily decisions and objectives for the future. “We strive to be growth minded in everything we do,” Paul said, “whether that is new opportunities in business or growing personally in our faith and knowledge. There is so much we don’t know, and we believe that having a willingness to approach every day as a learning opportunity fuels our growth in many areas.”

This fuel is what makes dreams come true. The leadership team strives to ensure that their company is more than a furniture store but also a collection of individuals, with aspirations and lives of their own. Front-of-mind for them always is to foster an enjoyable and satisfying workplace for their team, and to provide jobs that enrich employees’ lives. The employees, in turn, are focused on the guests who visit the stores; they respect the small part they play in making a house a home, a place where residents can feel comfortable and proud.

The Wilson family continues to stress that their business is much more than furniture; it is a collection of people.   Family members include: Garrett May, Jack Wilson, Angie Wilson, Grace Wilson, J.D. Wilson, Sharon Wilson, John Wilson, Jennifer Runion, Adam Wilson, Paige Runion, Wynn Wilson, Tucker Runion, Paul Wilson, Allison Wilson, Mary Benton Wilson, Tatum Hovarter, Hollis Wilson, Diana Hovarter and Pays Hovarter.

A team-wide goal, driving both leadership and employees, is to give back to the larger community that has enabled their success. Red River Home is a proud supporter and participant in Home to Dream, an Ashley outreach initiative that provides mattresses to children and families in need. Having a clean, comfortable bed to sleep in is something most of us take for granted, but for many members of our community, this need goes unmet. Red River Home partners with local organizations to help change that, by providing mattresses free of charge. In 2021, Red River Home donated over 40 mattresses; in 2022, over 70 mattresses; and the 2023 goal is to donate 100 beds to local people in need.

The Wilson family views their work as their legacy. Guided by timeless principles and values, they hope that Red River Home will continue to be a pillar of the community for generations to come.