Ndesign: Bruce Sprintz, Sprintz Furniture

Next time you see Bruce Sprintz, CEO of Sprintz Furniture, strolling the showrooms of ottomans, dining tables, rugs, coffee tables and sectionals, try to guess his favorite piece of furniture. A familiar face on local television commercials, the second-generation leader of Sprintz has test-driven just about every item in stock.

Likewise, after returning home from Texas 40 years ago to help in the furniture retailer his parents started in 1981, Bruce has worked in just about every role in the enterprise. “I recall a time when our small staff meant I did a bit of everything,” says Bruce, who started his sales career by working for Xerox, in Houston. “I would unlock the warehouse at 7:30 a.m., prepare the sales team, and then shift into buying, advertising and customer service — whatever it took to support our employees and deliver excellent service.” 

While Bruce doesn’t miss those often 10- to 12-hour days, “they built the foundation of our success,” he says. He attributes much of that success to his team of loyal, longtime employees, some of whom have worked with him for more than 35 years.

He also recalls the early challenge his parents faced when, nine months after opening in a former Kroger building in the bygone Belle Meade Plaza shopping center, they learned that the construction of a bridge from Harding Road to White Bridge Road meant the demolition of their fledgling store. “Dad immediately began searching for a new location,” Bruce remembers. “Trusting Mom’s intuition, they settled on White Bridge Road.”

First there was the zoning hurdle, to permit a business in the largely residential area. Then there was the financing. “When no bank would provide the necessary capital, Dad personally sold 40 industrial revenue bonds to individuals across Nashville,” Bruce says, adding that his dad made 450 calls and offered 21% tax-free interest on the bonds. “Those who took a gamble on him were well-rewarded,” he says. “True to his character, even when he could have paid off the bonds early, he left them in place so investors could continue earning that high interest until maturity.”

Now, 45 years after Alyse and Charles Sprintz founded their first showroom, Sprintz is a multigenerational effort, encompassing two Sprintz stores — on White Bridge Road and in Cool Springs — and a Bassett Furniture store in Cool Springs. Bruce travels the markets to source furniture, while his sister Wendy buys accessories and artwork for the three stores and works with interior designers on projects ranging from individual rooms to whole houses.

“My parents understood that many customers needed help bringing a vision to life, so we offered design assistance from the very beginning — free of charge with a furniture purchase,” Bruce says. “We continue that tradition today.”

Now, Bruce’s son Scott oversees much of the day-to-day operations.

“I know my mother is proud to see the third generation involved,” Bruce says. “I only wish my father had lived long enough to see his grandson take over his office — he would have been elated.”

Over more than four decades, Bruce has seen the furniture business change, along with the design goals of homeowners. “Years ago, the trend was for everything to match perfectly. A dining set would feature a table, chairs and sideboard all in the exact same finish,” Bruce says. “Today, we see more curated, eclectic styles, where a client might pair a dining table from one manufacturer with chairs from another and a statement sideboard from a third to create a unique look.”

While Sprintz showrooms previously provided floor samples for clients to view and then order, the company now stocks as many as 300 sofas and sectionals and 80 beds on site.

And if you guessed sofa, you’re correct.

“My favorite piece of furniture is undoubtedly a sofa or sectional,” Bruce says. “We dedicate significant time to sourcing the best possible products from all over the world, and my personal rule is that I will not stock a sofa or sectional in our stores that I haven’t personally sat on and tested for comfort. I truly believe in the value of a comfortable piece of furniture.”