Gallery Furniture was founded by current CEO and owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale in Houston, Texas, in 1982. McIngvale started the company with a pickup truck for delivery and $5,000 cash.
Although the company did well initially, but the oil industry in Texas took a turn for the worse. McIngvale took his last $10K and invested it into advertising (doing the voice over himself) on two television stations. Although he wasn’t very pleased with the ad, it did well, turning business around.
Today, Gallery Furniture has 3 locations; two in Houston, Texas, and one in Richmond, Texas. The company was recently in the spotlight after Hurricane Harvey, which flooded most of Houston. McIngvale opened his stores to be used as shelters for those who were unable to stay in their homes.
