Bernie Mahon · Proprietor since 1973
There are easier ways to sell furniture.
We never fancied them.
Bernie helped open The Furniture Showrooms with her brother Charles Maguire in 1973. The idea was simple: offer a proper selection, price it fairly, know what you’re selling and look after people. More than fifty years later, that is still the job.
A business built by return visits
First the parents.
Then their children.
Now the grandchildren.
The shop grew because customers came back and told other people. Bernie’s knowledge and straight way of dealing with people became part of the place. Her son and co-owner Stephen brought his own decades of experience, particularly in complete property fit-outs. Today his son and daughter work in the business too.
Robert Murtagh has been part of that way of doing things for more than 30 years. He has helped thousands of people find the right furniture for their home, but “salesman” never quite covers what he does. From the first hello and the questions that help narrow things down, through to the furniture arriving at the door, Robert is part of the journey. We all are.
Surviving the arrival of flat-pack furniture, giant chains and one-click shopping was not a matter of resisting change. It was a matter of knowing what should not change: quality you can inspect, advice you can trust and somebody taking responsibility if you need help afterwards.
Irish furniture and bed makers have always had a proper place on our floor too. We’ll happily tell you what is Irish-made, what is imported and what the practical difference is—because where something comes from should be useful information, not a sales flourish.
From the family album · just before Italia ’90
A shop has a history.
People give it a character.
Bernie’s brother Charles Maguire—Uncle Charlie to everybody—was part of the character from the beginning. He was kind, clever and quick-witted, a marketing genius who was years ahead of his time. A chain-smoking gentleman, always dapper and charming, he also seemed to operate an unofficial employment agency for Stephen’s friends. If somebody needed a start, there was every chance Uncle Charlie would find them something useful to do.
Football was another great love. Charlie followed Ireland around the world; his stories could fill another website. These photographs are from the same staff night out just before Italia ’90— work, friendship and football all at the same table.
Tell it straight
If something suits, we’ll say so. If another option makes more sense, we’ll say that too.
Let people look
Help when it is wanted. Space when it isn’t. Nobody needs to be followed around a furniture shop.
Be here afterwards
A family name over the door means taking responsibility, not disappearing after a sale.
The institution
Bernie is still very much Bernie.
She still works. She still knows the stock. She still remembers families and asks after people. The generations around her may be changing, but she remains the measure of how the shop should treat its customers.
Come and meet us →