History: Furniture.com's basic business model was a classic example of dot-com exuberance: Why not have furniture shipped to customers' doorsteps with the click of a mouse? While some believed the idea had promise, . Home furniture delivery had long been available from brick-and-mortar retailers, but the sofa-buying public was new to the idea of ordering large items online.

However, Steven Rothschild tells The Industry Standard that this wasn't as large of an issue as many believed.

"[Large furniture] brands helped to overcome consumer skepticism," says Rothschild. "For every person who said 'I have to sit on it,' there were three who did not. Also, the ability to call and speak with sales people helped."

Rothschild adds that initially the furniture was presented with high-quality photos, but eventually rotation views and room planners were added. He says that larger-scale changes were needed as well. "[The site] had to be built and rebuilt for scale and to be current. As consumer access to high-speed Internet access increased, expectations of a heightened experience increased."

The company relied on manufacturers to ship merchandise rather than store its own inventory. However, this led to some unexpected problems, Rothschild says. "The biggest issue we faced was getting vendors to agree to continue supplying us, while their other customers complained about the competition," he says. "Today that battle still goes on with 'No Internet' policies and minimum retail pricing policies."