Award-winner Magnolia Lighting plans to ‘stay the course’ in 2025

HERNANDO, Miss. – Magnolia Lighting received an ARTS Award last month in the category of Lighting Showroom, East/Atlantic Region. Family-owned since 1984, Magnolia Lighting operates its main showroom in Hernando, Miss., along with three other stores in the state, in Tupelo, Oxford and Ridgeland. Its business covers the north half of Mississippi, and its Hernando location draws at least half its business from the Memphis, Tenn., market as well as eastern Arkansas.

Its primary customer is the builder. It also sells home décor, and its best-selling categories in that regard are lamps and art.

Pam Whitfield has been involved in Magnolia Lighting, her husband’s family business, since 1994 when it was known as Magnolia Lighting & Electric Supply.

We spoke with Whitfield about the company’s plans for 2025.

 

What’s driving business?

We’re still in a very strong new construction area in all stores except Tupelo. That drives business. As far as home accessories, we try to target the new homeowner who’s picking out lights and hope they will come back for accents.

In 2008, we decided we needed to redirect and target retail rather than depending solely on new construction. We’ve sustained that over the years through social media and TV ads. That drives the retail side. We ended up having a great year [in 2024.] That’s not exactly common in the lighting industry right now.

What is your outlook for this year?

The immigration deal [being discussed in Washington] is big for construction. We are concerned about tariffs. It hurt us in 2017, but they’ve become part of the norm. It concerns us but we’re not afraid of it because it’s global. No one in the industry is immune.  Convincing our builders to increase their budgets is the bigger challenge that we have.

Are you trying anything new this year?

Nothing different for this year. I don’t know if this is the time to venture out into new. We have tried things in the past, more so in retail. We’re going to stay the course.

In the industry, some are operating in a more conservative mode, and I wish they [manufacturers] would open up inventory. We’re a stocking showroom, which is what sustained us through COVID. I don’t feel like anybody is stepping out on a limb or doing something exciting.

What’s trending?

We are bringing back some bronzes, softer finishes.

We saw so much gold [at the recent show], which we love because it makes our store so beautiful, but I expected a trend away from that. Not in lighting, [though]. In home décor, my buyer saw a trend away from so much gold.