Dave Singer rebuilt his grandfather’s business from the ground up, creating a $14 million company that has earned an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies designation six times over. Selling new and used office furniture, Warehouse of Fixtures keeps thousands of tons of office furniture out of the landfill while making office furniture affordable for small businesses.
Singer’s grandfather, Arnold Singer, founded Warehouse of Fixtures over 60 years ago. By the mid-1970s, his business had become the go-to place for affordable new and used office furniture in St. Louis. But in 2001, the business closed to make way for apartments for SLU students.
In 2004, recent college graduate David Singer began selling off the remaining furniture from his grandfather’s facility as a summer job before law school. Customers continued to purchase furniture, pushing Singer to create Warehouse of Fixtures The Next Generation (TNG).
In 2008, Singer co-founded an office furniture refurbishing company, now called Refurbiture, to save more furniture from the landfill. This allowed Warehouse of Fixtures to provide refurbished furniture at a fraction of new prices. In 2010, Warehouse of Fixtures TNG moved to a new facility totaling 28,000 square feet of showroom space plus 30,000 square feet of warehouse. In 2018 and 2019, Singer led the purchase of two competing companies. Today, the company employs over 80 people with operations throughout the St. Louis, Kansas City and Chesterfield region.
“The toughest thing I have had to do as a leader to facilitate continued growth in the team is to let other leaders lead in their own way,” said Singer. “There were plenty of mistakes made, but it has created a much stronger team that can scale the company better. The creativity and efficiency of the team is better, and everyone, me included, is much happier.”
Singer has served on the boards of multiple not-for-profits, including Entrepreneur’s Organization St. Louis and the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition. He is civically engaged in local politics and is a prolific networker. He hosts interns from local high schools, mentors new business owners, and has helped multiple people find new jobs after they’d been through a layoff.
“The new generation of leadership is about empowering your team and enabling them to grow,” said Singer. “The one thing that can’t be taught is care. If you don’t truly care about your team, as individuals, they will leave to find a place where they feel valued as a person.”
