Discounts are so big that the Furniture Mart does not advertise particular lines of merchandise or try to lure business from out of state.

"Like the balloon race in St. Louis and the Furniture Mart in North Carolina."

Furniture Mart and other companies are even turning employees into headhunters, paying cash bonuses for each referral hired.

But it didn't, and all the grand designs that came later to Stemmons Freeway owe their very existence to the little Furniture Mart.

A Geographic Magnet The Furniture Mart's huge selection and low pricing draw shoppers from beyond the Midwest hinterland, where choices are few.

The Furniture Mart also receives sizable orders from local customers for shipment to vacation homes in Florida and the Southwest and relatives throughout the country.

The broad impact of the Furniture Mart has been to drive operating margins for competitors in the region well below national levels.

The area that the Furniture Mart has struggled with the most in recent years has been service.

Originally named the American Furniture Mart, it was designed by Henry Raeder and construction was completed in 1926.

The family eventually repaired the rift, and Mr. Buffett acquired the new venture in 1992, merging it into the Furniture Mart.