Bernie & Phyl's Furniture Completes 86,000 Square Foot Superstore in Nashua, NH

Furniture World Magazine

Bernie & Phyl's Furniture, one of the fastest growing furniture retailers in the country, has completed construction of its new 86,000 square foot, three story superstore in Nashua, New Hampshire on the Daniel Webster Highway. The new store was constructed in two phases. Bernie & Phyl's opened half (40,000 s/f) of the new superstore in November 2002. The finished store, with an additional 46,000 s/f of retail space, will open on October 11. The 86,000 s/f Nashua superstore is now the biggest store in the retailer's chain and the largest furniture store in the Nashua market. The company purchased the high profile 1.87-acre parcel from Merrimack Wayside Furniture in August 2001 and opened for business on September 1, 2001 in the existing building on the site. The original building was demolished to make room for the additional 46,000 s/f of space. The project was done in phases so that the store could remain open during the entire construction process. This was the first store that Bernie & Phyl's ever designed and constructed from scratch. While the shape of the land required the company to build "up," they had free reign to design the store of their dreams. The result is a store with an easy flow, open displays, and a setting that really lets the furniture take center stage. A beautiful glass elevator takes customers from one floor to the next. Since this is Bernie & Phyl's biggest store, it will carry not only every piece of furniture that the retailer sells at other stores, but extensive additional selections in each category. The new store also features a 3,500 s/f bedding area, a designated Berkline Comfort Gallery (which carries a huge selection of the manufacturer's recliner, motion, and leather furniture), a jazz-theme inspired leather department, a fun play space for kids in the juvenile furniture area, and a clearance center on-site. The company has hired 10 new employees to help staff the completed Nashua store for a total of 60 employees in Nashua. Another 15 employees will be added at the company's headquarters and distribution center in Norton, Massachusetts to support the increased capacity of the Nashua store. "This has been an exciting ride for us to develop a store from the ground up and to see it take shape. We have made a huge investment in this area because we feel there is tremendous opportunity in southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts," said Bernie Rubin, president and co-founder of Bernie & Phyl's Furniture. "We sell high quality, beautiful furniture at great prices and we treat customers right. We are already a favorite shopping destination in this market and we expect to build on that with this incredible new store and its unparalleled selection." Bernie & Phyl's Furniture was started by the Rubin family in 1983 and has since grown from a small storefront into the largest independent furniture retailer in Massachusetts. Based in Norton, MA, the company now has six Massachusetts stores in Cambridge, Everett, Raynham (55,000 s/f superstore opened in 2003), Saugus (50,000 s/f superstore opened in 1999), Westboro (42,000 s/f superstore opened in 1997), and Weymouth; and one superstore in Nashua, NH (86,000 s/f). Bernie & Phyl's Furniture had $76.7 million in sales for the year 2002 and currently employs over 400 people. The company's compounded annual growth rate has been 27% over the past five years. In 2002, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture was named "2002 Retailer of the Year" by the National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA), which is the highest honor in the retail home furnishings industry. In 2000, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture was named "2000 Retailer of the Year" by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. The company ranks 74 among the Top 100 furniture stores in the country according to Furniture/Today magazine.