Furniture's Free After Bears Turn the Tables on Packers By Sara Olkon
Tribune staff reporter
September 12, 2006, 5:48 AM CDT
Cradled by cornfields and long, quiet streets, Randy Gonigam's furniture store on U.S. Highway 34 in Kendall County is not a place folks usually go to gamble.
But 206 families who placed bets at World Furniture Mall over Labor Day weekend won payoffs after the Bears pounded the Green Bay Packers 26-0 in their season opener Sunday.
Gonigam had promised to refund the money spent in his Plano store that weekend--up to $10,000 a customer--if the Bears shut out Green Bay.
"It just doesn't happen," said Anthony Glover, a 45-year-old farm equipment operator from Aurora who was one of the winning customers. "The Packers have been beating us bad for 10 years." In fact, the Bears have been turning things around in the last couple of seasons and on Sunday they became the first team to hand Packers quarterback Brett Favre a shutout in his storied 16-yearNFL career.
Although Gonigam noted in a pre-sale flier that he "could get sacked for a substantial loss," he protected himself in the pocket. Participating customers had to sign a contract stating the furniture could not be returned.
Gonigam also took out an insurance policy with Odds On Promotions, a prize indemnification company in Reno, Nev.. He would not say what he paid, but he was covered for up to $300,000 worth of furniture.
Mark Gilmartin, president of Odds On Promotions, said Gonigam paid "tens of thousands of dollars" to secure his odds, something the company tabulated by examining the two rivals' records and by counting the number of NFL shutouts in recent years. They said they did not take into account the game's odds, Bears by 3 1/2.
Glover, a superstitious sports fan, would watch Sunday's game only in tiny spurts. He feared total attention would jinx his luck. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, he was sick to his stomach and hung up on his brother-in-law, who'd called to prematurely congratulate him on his free $899 wood and tile kitchen table.
Once the game was over, Glover teased his wife for not buying an entire living room set as he'd encouraged.
"My wife could not make up her mind what color she wanted," he said with raised brow.
On Monday, Gonigam was giddy as he walked around his 50,000-square-foot showroom. His promotion was getting plenty of attention for the 5-year-old store, he said, with calls from CNN, MSNBC and local radio and television news stations in Illinois and Wisconsin.
"This is beyond our wildest dreams," said Gonigam, a "huge Bears fan" who wears a goatee and a toothy smile.
With the store closed for the night on Sunday, Gonigam and his warehouse and service manager watched the final quarter on a wide-screen television, reclining on a mocha microfiber sofa inside the showroom.
"Even though it was insured, it was a real odd feeling--$300,000 of furniture," he said.
After the game, he reprogrammed the store's answering machine to address questions from the winners.
A year ago, Gonigam lured customers to the store with a $20,000 Hyundai SUV giveaway. He got the idea for the newest promotion after reading an interview in which Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher bragged about the team's strong defense.
"As a Chicago sports fan, you get frustrated," he said. "I thought, `Prove it.'"
Kathleen Spayer, 40, of Sugar Grove came into the store Monday to check on her winnings.
The psychotherapist and her husband won a $5,000 master bedroom set made of weathered wood.
"It's the luckiest year of my life," said Spayer, who is expecting her first child in February.
Richard Tolleson, 44, of North Aurora spent $1,500 for cherry wood book shelving and a pair of vertical files. The owner of a lawn company said he had no faith the Bears would prevent the Packers from scoring. After all, the Bears had not shut out an opposing team since they beat Detroit 24-0 on Dec. 30, 2001.
"I thought there was a better chance the Cubs would win the World Series," he said.
The win was perhaps most emotional for Ginny Weir.
A 57-year-old loan processor from Montgomery, Weir follows the Bears to feel close to her late husband. She said she had saved for a while so she could spend $500 on solid oak coffee and end tables.
On Sunday, she watched the game at home with her miniature poodle and her Yorkshire-bichon frise mix.
"When it got down to the last 2 minutes, I couldn't even sit," she said.
When the final whistle blew and the Bears had their shutout, she jumped up and down. Her little dogs quickly joined in, barking and running in circles.
"I think I cried," she said.
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Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
