Monette’s Furniture: Success in the Middle of Nowhere

Question: Why in the world would potential furniture and carpeting buyers drive from wherever they are to the tiny hamlet of Mooers, New York?

Answer: Because it’s the home of Monette’s Furniture, reportedly the oldest such business still operating in this part of the North Country. Monette’s says it has the largest selection and great prices for top quality. Not only that, but its long and interesting history makes a great story!

Peeling back the pages of time, we go back to 1935 when Leeward Monette and his first wife Loretta made what turned out to be an historical decision. They opened a furniture store in Mooers on Route 11 only a few hundred feet east of the present location and next door to an Esso gas station. An existing photo shows a store called Stewarts on the Northeast corner with the gas station between there and the original Monette’s Furniture store.

Seventy-five years ago, Monette’s, Inc. was the only furniture store for miles around. Business boomed for Leeward and his wife and it wasn’t long before their relatively small space was bursting at the seams. The search was on for a suitable building that could handle their burgeoning inventory.

Fast forward to 1949 when the quest ended. An explanation beneath an old photograph reveals that the Monettes purchased a large brick structure, reported to be the oldest building in Mooers. A Mister Knapp is said to have constructed it in 1876.

The building is located on the northwest corner of Routes 11 and 22 and was already an area landmark by the time of purchase by the Monettes. Ralph Lewis owned the building for some years and at one time, operated a Ford dealership there. He also ran a funeral home on the third floor of the building some 70 years ago. Locals say a bank might have been located on the premises in the distant past, as evidenced by a large safe still in the building. There are also unconfirmed stories that the U.S Post Office was once housed there.

In any case, it seemed to be a good fit for Monette’s, and business continued to grow. That forced a large expansion in 1960 when the sturdy old building was remodeled and a sizeable addition was built on the north side. The end result was a building two-and-a-half times its original size. Another old photograph plainly shows the completed building.

Leeward Monette was said to have used all three floors for furniture storage, along with the two floors of the nearby Grange Hall during those years.

The business thrived. In 1977, Leeward Monette attended the wedding of his nephew Paul Seymour and announced, “I want to sell my business. It would be a perfect time for one of you young people to get involved.” Paul, a contractor in Colorado at the time, and his brother Robert jumped at the chance.

Robert Seymour, in a recent interview, said, “My brother twisted my arm a little bit and in November of that year, we ended up purchasing the business together.”

Seymour explained, “At the time we bought it, Monette’s was kind of a general type store. We had furniture, floor coverings, TVs, appliances and hardware, because there was no other hardware store in town.”

But things change in a small business. Seymour went on to say, “That was before computers. We soon found that we just couldn’t manage so many products and so we decided to focus on furniture, appliances and televisions.”

Seymour added, “When we bought the business, we changed the name from Monette’s Inc. to Monette’s Furniture and Appliances, Inc. About 20 years ago we phased out appliances.”

At about the same time Paul Seymour left the business for other pursuits and Robert became the sole owner.

That was also the time Robert decided to focus mainly on higher quality furniture. He described Monette’s as “basically a mid-priced store.” He added, “Our basic premise is that the customer is always right. We try to kill them with service.”

As for why potential customers would drive a long way to shop at Monette’s, Seymour said, “We’re 20 miles from the urban center of the area. For people to come here, it must be a worthwhile destination. That’s why we go the extra mile. We provide free delivery and basically ‘get married’ to our customers. When they make a purchase, we are there if there are any issues.”

He continued, “I think that’s why we have a lot of repeat customers. We also have a lot of referral business. We don’t walk away from customers at the point of sale.”

The name is now simply Monette’s Furniture, although they still sell carpeting. Seymour’s wife Sara was an integral part of the business for many years, but illness ended her career in the store about two years ago.

The list of employees numbers just a half-dozen. Seymour described Heather Wrye as, “our sales associate and day-to-day general manager.” Seymour said, “She keeps the place together.” Her mother, Kathy Gordon, works part-time. She began to help out in the office and sales when the late Mooers native Joyce Gordon became ill a few years ago. Joyce had worked as bookkeeper-clerk at Monette’s where she was a fixture for 50 years prior to her death in 2006. She was Kathy’s late husband’s aunt.

When asked how Monette’s has survived the recent economic downturn, Seymour replied, “We are able to maintain a lower price point and have actually been able to drop prices over the past ten years because our building is paid for. We’ve kept most of the charming interior and exterior features of the original building. We haven’t had to remodel it and we have a small staff. Besides Heather and Kathy, we have a part-time woman who helps on the floor and a father-son team―Roger and Nick Roberts from Mooers Forks―doing our deliveries. Terry Rabideau has also been delivering here for a decade and we miss him while he’s currently out on disability.”

Manager Heather Wrye commented, “People call and tell us what a good job they do delivering and setting up the furniture, as well as how nice they are.”

Monette’s also offers a home decorating service. Kathy Gordon explained, “People come in not knowing what colors go with what. We sit down with them and help them choose paint swatches and fabric. That’s part of our personalized service.”

Seymour smiled and said, “We’re kind of an enigma in this day and age. I suppose, to some, it doesn’t make sense why we’re still here. There have been furniture businesses down in Plattsburgh that haven’t been able to make it over the long haul. We must have been doing something right all along.”

Wrye commented, “Many people who come in here to buy furniture have been referred to us by other customers who have been pleased with our products and service. We hear them tell others, ‘You’ve got to go to Monette’s.’ We hear that a lot. We also hear that they think the store is beautiful and they love the selection and quality.” She continued, “We also offer financing for our customers, such as twelve months of no interest, no payment.”

Monette’s Furniture at 2424 Route 11 and Route 22 in Mooers, has great name recognition and a strong reputation. Owner Robert Seymour believes his Uncle Leeward would be proud of what has become of the business he started 75 years ago in what has been described as “the middle of nowhere.”