Southern Utah's - Outdoor Living
Outdoor Living is a locally owned and operated premium patio retailer in St. George that provides a luxurious, high-quality, and durable outdoor experience to customers. Southern Utah, with its beautiful landscape and mild weather, is the perfect place for an outdoor lifestyle experience. Once a hidden gem for retirees, St. George, Utah, is the fifth-fastest growing metro area in the nation. Located two hours northeast of Las Vegas, it is a prime destination for those seeking mild weather, an active outdoor lifestyle, and a sense of small-town community. Having an efficient and aesthetically pleasing backyard or patio is just as important as the indoors of your house. Here is where Outdoor Living comes to your service! It provides all the patio furnishing items under one roof. From all your favorite brands to luxuriously transform your patios and backyards. Here customers have a wide range variety of furniture and accessories to choose from. Outdoor Living covers almost everything you may need or want in your backyard to enhance its aesthetics and efficiency and make it a pleasing and enjoyable place for homeowners. People primarily come to St. George to enjoy the climate, and Outdoor Living is here to help them take full advantage of why they moved here in the first place.
Over the past decade, the southern Utah population has grown from 73,000 to nearly 195,000 residents, and Outdoor Living has become a local favorite. We also provide next-day delivery on all our in-stock furniture!
Brands
Today, the company carries a large collection of top manufacturers such as Castelle, Brown Jordan, Tropitone, O.W. Lee, Mallin, Woodard, Ratana, Treasure Garden, Merrit, Telescope, Lane Venture, Summer Classics, KNF-Nelle Olson, American Fireglass, Exotic, Frankford, Eliane Smith, Seaside Casual, Feizy, Homecrest, Bromic, Sunset West, Ledge Lounger, Lloyd Flanders, Cabana Coast, Jensen Leisure, Ecosmart, and many other brands are available at Outdoor Living.
The driving force for our company is to serve the customers as they want to be served. That’s it! That’s the motivation. As a retail business, we believe in building relationships. We view each customer experience as a chance to build long-term relationships, not just a one-time transaction. This is why we keep looking for new ways to serve you with quality items at budget-friendly costs.
“We’re not looking to sell the most products but to gain relationships with our customers and build the business organically. It’s been a rewarding experience to work with that in mind.” – General Manager – Outdoor Living, Amanda Lisardo.
Every decision that is made, big or small, is made with the customer in mind—from what products the store carries to how employees are compensated. We all at Outdoor Living are of one mind when it comes to priorities. The “Customers First” policy of the company has earned it a reputation where customers fully trust the store and its products.
Outdoor Living also has a reputation (noticed by customers, sales reps, and other retailers) for the caliber of its employees, who share the owner Collin Stuart’s passion for service. He has been deliberate about that choice.
“I firmly believe a small business needs to have a staff that has the same focus, ethics, and morals as the owner, instead of just implementing a business model. The more true a store is to an owner’s vision, the more successful it will be.”– Owner – Outdoor Living, Collins Stuart.
The Beginning
The background of starting this business is quite interesting. The owner, Stuart, before opening the store, was a contractor by trade. He spent his career enhancing outdoor living spaces with awnings and outdoor kitchens. When he completed his projects, he began to notice that the beautiful new spaces he had created were lacking furniture. At that time, there was one casual furniture dealer in town, but it didn’t offer his clients what they needed. Stuart felt like patio furniture was an underserved space in the community. So with that in mind, it was reason enough to open the Outdoor Living Store. Although he didn’t have any formal experience in retail, he made up for it with passion and vision. Since then, his passion and commitment have made the company build long-term relationships and have earned it a great reputation in Southern Utah.
At Outdoor Living, our top priority is to enhance the outdoor living experience for our customers. To serve the customers at our best is our fundamental policy. The company initially opened the store with modestly priced furniture because we were apprehensive about the price. As people started coming in, we quickly realized that most of the shoppers were interested in customization—which pushed us to move in the direction of high-end furniture. It has allowed us to do things for customers that we couldn’t do at a lower price point. We tailor the product to the individual, which is what Outdoor Living is all about. Today, the store carries a wide selection of top manufacturers including Castelle, Brown Jordan, OW Lee, Woodard, Mallin, Lane Venture, Ratana, and Jensen Leisure.
At Outdoor Living, Education is an essential part of the sales process. The moment someone walks onto the showroom floor, our goal is to educate them on the value of outdoor furniture—not to sell them something. Stuart, the owner explains that the focus of conversations is to dispel the misconception that outdoor furniture, in general, should be cheaper than indoor furniture.
“People want it to have all the quality of indoor furniture, but they also expect it to survive outside. So, justifiably it should cost more. When our sales staff frames it up in those terms—a light bulb goes on—and the sale becomes much easier because the customer is not fixated on price.”-Collin Stuart, Owner, Outdoor Living
At Outdoor Living, our sales team also spends time explaining that outdoor spaces shouldn’t be an afterthought, but rather a priority. They can be a place that fits a person’s lifestyle the same as any indoor room. At the company, sales start to come when people realize that it’s possible to enjoy their home at a higher level. Done right, homeowners will spend just as much time in an outdoor room as they will in any other space in their home. At Outdoor Living, we are continually looking to improve the customer experience. As a member of the International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA), the owner, Collins Stuart gets ideas and support from fellow members globally.
“The organization attracts people who have a sincere interest in the trade itself. There are many store owners out there who focus too much on the numbers and don’t make an effort to have balance. I like rubbing elbows with people who have the same passion as I do for the outdoor space. It makes me a better retailer.”-Collins Stuart, Owner, Outdoor Living
For Outdoor Living, there have been many positives that have come out of the pandemic. From a sales standpoint, it has caused people to place a higher priority on their homes as a spot to spend time, which in turn has made them willing to invest their money into creating spaces they love. The other positive is that it has helped the staff here at the company appreciate interactions with customers more than ever before, which is something that is easy to take for granted. ”It’s refreshing to see how excited customers are to physically sit in the furniture and spend time with us planning their backyards. The process is part of the fun”, says Stuart.
St. George continues to grow at a steady pace, and the opportunities for Outdoor Living are growing as well. Over the next few years, the central shopping area will be moving geographically, so the company has purchased a 2.5-acre property where the growth is headed. We have already started to draw up plans for our dream store, and it’s been a blast.
“I have a unique vision for retail that is not so black and white that it dilutes the customer experience—and it is rewarding to see it play out every day.”- Collins Stuart, Owner, Outdoor Living
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