{"id":6312,"date":"2012-08-18T01:50:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-18T06:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/columbiaclosings.com\/wordpress\/?p=6312"},"modified":"2023-06-06T22:41:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T02:41:19","slug":"commercial-office-furniture-cof-1835-gervais-street-august-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/columbiaclosings.com\/wordpress\/?p=6312","title":{"rendered":"Commercial Office Furniture (COF), 1835 Gervais Street: August 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Well, this is a shame. Although I never went there, Commercial Office Furniture<\/i> was a fixture of my childhood, due to their long-running campaign on the old WIS AM 560<\/a>. As I mentioned in the Ads & Jingles<\/a> post, their most memorable commercials all had the throbbing tagline<\/p>\n

\nYour Next Desk
\nWill Come From C-O-F<\/b>!!\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

It doesn't look like much written out, but it was very distinctive.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I had often seen the Gervais Street building as I went downtown, and recall thinking that the exterior didn't live up to the commercials as the design (necessitated by the lot, I suppose) was rather odd and the store-front was almost hidden away in the parking lot. LoopNet<\/a> says the building was built in 1949, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were even older than that.<\/p>\n

The closing sign says that they were in business for 50 years, which is a very good run. The last commercials I recall seeing from them, back when I still watched TV, had the spokesman opening a packaged office chair and having the parts all fall out on the floor, saying something like<\/p>\n

\nSee this?
\nThis is what you get at our competitors.
\nAt COF, we don't waste your valuable time,
\nOur<\/i> furniture is assembled and delivered to your office.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

I guess the implication at that point was that their competitors were the big-box stores like Staples<\/i> and Office Depot<\/i> which compete on price and volume rather than service. Perhaps in this economy that's enough, and bosses don't mind having the employees waste a few hours putting together their own desks and chairs..<\/p>\n

(Hat tip to commenter Russ)<\/p>\n

UPDATE 26 Feb 2013<\/b> -- A little coda:<\/p>\n

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UPDATE 6 June 2023<\/b> -- Commenter Kenneth has located the commercial I mentioned above. Here it is:<\/p>\n