During the 1970’s, Elsa Rezene brought her entire family and her entrepreneurial spirit from Eritrea, Africa to Minnesota, vowing to own and operate her own business. Her son, Tetra Constantino, fondly remembers how his mother began their family business, Elsa’s House of Sleep, in the Midway neighborhood. “She started this business with a credit card and a prayer,” said Tetra.
Today, and a generation later, this longest-running Black-owned furniture store carries on Elsa’s legacy by treating customers like family and embracing everyone who enters the store with their legendary service. And while Tetra and team understand the value of continuing this customer-first mindset, they also see the furniture industry and their beloved neighborhood changing.
So in a serendipitous moment, Elsa’s was one of six Black-owned businesses selected to be featured in Season 6 of the Small Business Revolution—an Emmy-nominated series by Deluxe, designed to help small businesses overcome business challenges such as marketing, finance and operations to strengthen their future success.
Reimaging the Brand
While many of the business practices have remained unchanged over the years, it was time to consider modernizing visual aspects of the brand to keep up with the changing market. That meant starting with Elsa’s logo.
Original Logo
The design team’s goal was to refresh the look to pay homage to the founder, while also conveying Elsa’s is more than just a mattress store. The updated design features an elegant signature style, reminding everyone that Elsa was not just the founder, but the heart and soul of the business.
Updated Logo
Refreshing the Website
In addition to modernizing Elsa’s brand, the Deluxe team saw an opportunity to enhance Elsa’s online presence to infuse market differentiators such as highlighting layaway, personalized sales and their renowned delivery service.
Featuring Personalized Service
Highlighting Unique Services
Watch the Complete Makeover
For those interested to see all the changes made to this multi-generation business—including a full remodel of the store—head to Hulu or smallbusinessrevolution.org, where Deluxe teams up with community leaders and industry, financial and tech experts to help Tetra and teams continue the evolution of Elsa’s dream and the business of family.
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