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CALUMET - Buying a business can be risky, but when the business is bought from a family member, some of the risk can be eliminated.

Janice Galerneau and her husband, Tony, purchased Rowe Furniture on Fifth Street in Calumet in 2007 from Janice's brother, Kurt Rowe, to keep family ownership of the business, which was started in 1980.

Galerneau said she her brother was thinking about selling the store, and she and Tony decided buying it would be a good way to move back to Calumet after living in the Detroit area for a while.

After buying the store, Galerneau said she and Tony decided they wanted to offer more products than her brother was offering.

"We increased the inventory," she said. "We've picked up a few different (product) companies."

One item they've increased which customers like is dining sets, Galerneau said. Now they have sets made of various woods, rather than just oak.

Galerneau said she and Tony try to buy Michigan-made products when they can, such as Serta mattresses, which are made in downstate Romulus.

The Rowe Furniture inventory of floor coverings, including sheet goods, tile, wood and carpet, Galerneau said.

Also in the store's inventory are the usual home accessories, including lamps, clocks and knick-knacks, with a particular emphasis on lamps.

"I'm getting more of the stained glass (lamp shades)," she said.

She's also offering various table top-sized bear statues because of customer demand.

"They were just (decoration) for the store, but people wanted them," she said.

Galerneau said her and Tony's dedication to customers goes beyond the walls of the store. They both have made deliveries as far as Traverse City and Grand Rapids.

"We had something they wanted and couldn't get anywhere else," she said.

Galerneau said the increase in inventory caused them to expand their floor space for storage.

"We also have a warehouse in the (Calumet) industrial district we built last year," she said

Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com.