As milestones go, 50 is a big one.
Mason’s Cloverdale Home Furnishings reached that mystical number this year, being in business since 1974.
Current owner Derek Mason held a 50th anniversary celebration last month and welcomed the community. Mason said the celebration went well and had three facets to it: a celebration of 50 years, a customer appreciation event, and a charity fundraiser.
“We had a great turnout,” said Mason. “We had some designers and some sales reps attend, but the majority were customers, some of them coming here for years and some new ones. I gave away a bunch of prizes that were donated from local businesses.”
He said a lot of business owners in Cloverdale contributed to the celebration by donating the items used for the giveaways and for a silent auction. Through the silent auction, Mason raised $1,600, which was given to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“I was really happy with that,” he said. “It was the first time we’ve really done a fundraiser. Over the years we’ve donated to sports teams and church groups and other charities, but it was the first time we really did a fundraising event. And to raise over $1,500, that was pretty cool.”
He noted it was important to him the event wasn’t just about celebrating being in business for 50 years, but that it was also about showing his appreciation to his customers. As such, Mason decided to combine the festivities with a 50 per cent off sale on many story items—a percentage point for every year Mason’s has been in business.
“I wanted our customers to know that this was all because of them—recognizing what we’ve done over the years—it’s not just transactional, we build relationships with people.”
Mason added overall the celebration was a “great night” and there was a “good vibe” from start to finish. He said he was happy to share the milestone with his family as both his mom and dad and his wife and two kids came to the store to celebrate.
Masons began in 1974 when Derek’s father and grandfather opened their first store in North Burnaby.
“It was a small appliance and TV shop back then,” he said. “My dad was there ’74 to ’78 and then he moved to Vancouver.”
That move occurred because Derek’s father bought a store called Fawcett Furniture on Granville Street. The business then became Fawcett Masons until 1992 when he moved the business to Cloverdale, where it’s remained for the last 32 years.
Derek’s father had commuted into Vancouver from Fort Langley from the late ’70s until the early ’90s when he bought a store located closer to home. He ended up buying Cloverdale Home Furnishings from Ed and Lou Hunter in 1992 and Mason’s Cloverdale Home Furnishings opened on 176th shortly thereafter.
Derek bought out his mom and dad in 2015 when they retired. He said being located in Cloverdale has been great. He added the small town community feel, nestled among the big cities of the Fraser Valley, is unique.
“Since ’92, until the present day, there’s been peaks and valleys, but we’ve endured,” he said. “Part of that is because we own our own building, but because of where we’re located, we’ve just got such a great customer base. It’s just such a great community, Cloverdale, I love it here.”
He said above everything, he’s just grateful for the customers that support his business, his clients, and his partners in both the community and the business community.
“We are not here just to sell furniture,” he explained. “We are here to build those relationships and to fill a need and to help. I think that comes across in what we do. We are not the pushy, we ask questions about how we can help. That has been part of the key to our longevity and that’s why people come back to us and why they refer their friends and family with the confidence that we will take care of everybody who comes through these doors.”
For more info on Mason’s, visit masonsfurniture.com.
This post was originally published on here
