Peter Dillard and Jane Dillard of Madison Hall Certain small businesses like Madison Hall in Columbia plan on waiting out the current financial crisis by relying heavily on their fair and friendly approach to conducting business, according to Peter and Jane Dillard.

Madison Hall was established in 1976 by Sandy Dillard, the mother of the current partners Peter and Jane Dillard. Like most American small businesses, Madison Hall started from small and humble beginnings. The original store was a small gift shop located in a house on Devine Street in Columbia. With little competition in the area, Madison Hall quickly became known as the local specialty store for furniture and gift accessories.

In their current location at 2710 Gervais Street, the Dillards work to maintain the quaint charm as their original gift shop. The store is able to accommodate multiple room set- ups. This allows clients to see how to put together a room and to find unique pieces to accent their homes. The store is spacious and provides ample room for beautiful show rooms.

The Dillard family approaches their clients with the same care with which they would wish to be treated, said Jane Dillard. Often, the staff is able to offer same day deliver- ies, or if possible the staff will assist in loading the piece directly into the new owner's vehicle.

Sometimes superior customer service equates to helping clients find just the right piece of furniture. The Dillards keep a wish list book for customers searching for specific pieces. Even if years have passed, the staff continues to search for the piece until it is located and delivered to the Columbia store.

The Dillards buy cautiously and maintain new and unique inventory in their warehouse adjacent to the store.

On location at Madison Hall, there is a designer. An adjacent store rounds out the customer's needs by offering paint and decorating assistance. This provides the customer with one- stop shopping.

Peter Dillard believes this is the perfect time for customers to upgrade their current homes. Madison Hall plans on adapting to the current economic climate and surviving through another difficult economic time, just like it has done so many times before, said Peter.