Mealey’s has a
flair for chairs

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Just about everyone in the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas has heard of Mealey’s Furniture. Not everyone, however, knows that the family-owned business has its roots in Wissinoming.
Kevin Mealey was a freshman at Archbishop Ryan High School when his dad, Jerry Mealey, opened Jerry’s Home Furnishings at 5812 Torresdale Ave. in 1970.
"I remember unpacking merchandise on the sidewalk," Mealey said, recalling how he’d open up the grates on the sidewalk and send the uncrated merchandise below to the stockroom.
Kevin Mealey and his brother Dan, who was a Ryan senior at the time, would drive down to the store on Dan’s motorcycle every day after school to receive the shipments and make deliveries in a 1969 green Impala.
Mealey smiled and motioned in the air as he described how he and his brother would load a chest and maybe a nightstand or two in the open trunk of the old Chevy. They’d tie down the trunk and load another piece or two on top of the trunk before repeating the well-practiced tie-down method. They’d hoist larger pieces such as a mattress and boxspring onto the roof of the car.
If the old Impala couldn’t handle the load, the Mealeys would call on the Smith Moving Company out of Frankford for delivery of larger pieces
Although dinner table conversation in the Mealeys’ Bustleton home was always about work — after all Jerry, Alice and their two boys all worked at the store — Kevin Mealey didn’t think the family business would always be his life.
"Naturally I yearned to see the rest of the world," he said.
Dan Mealey went into the business right after college, but Kevin Mealey traveled a bit and then began sending out resumes and interviewing. All the while, he continued to work at the furniture store.
"Then I had an epiphany. Why don’t I give the furniture store a real try," Kevin Mealey said.
By 1980 the brothers were running the store, which had moved across the street to 5805 Torresdale Ave. on the former site of a beer distributor. Before long they purchased the building next door, razed it and expanded the storefront.
In 1987 the Mealeys opened a store at 3150 Knights Road in Bensalem and changed the name from Jerry’s to Mealey’s. In 1995, they opened an Oxford Valley location at 179 Lincoln Highway in Fairless Hills.
In addition to opening new stores, including one in Moorestown, N.J., the Mealey family expanded each store dramatically — the Oxford Valley site doubled its size to 66,000 square feet.
On July 1, they will open a new 84,000 square-foot store in Warminster at 908 W. Street Road. It will offer two stores within stores focusing on bedding and kids’ furniture and will also showcase 170 sofas in its main showroom, all of which are available for same-day delivery.
Kevin Mealey expects the new store to do $18 million to $20 million in the first year.
In an economy where many retailers are closing stores, how do the Mealeys continue to grow and expand?
"We haven’t been suffering a sales decline — 2007 was ahead of 2006 and 2008 is ahead of 2007," said Mealey.
He expects the company to make $50 million this year.
"Our formula for success over the years is a respectful shopping experience," Mealey said.
When folks enter the spacious showrooms, the furniture is not the only thing that catches their eye. Each showroom has a Mealey’s Café where they can get coffee, tea, soft drinks, juice boxes, candy and pretzels — and it’s all free. There’s a play area with a chalkboard and Lego’s for the kiddies too, so Mom and Dad can shop in peace.
"People come in and realize this store is about them. No plaid jackets and polka dot ties — we’re here to assist and educate," Mealey said.
The company goes direct to manufacturers around the world and doesn’t deal with a middleman, so it’s able to pass along the savings to its customers.
"People are looking at their wallets more closely than ever, looking for that value. We deliver those values, that shopping experience," Mealey said.
The Mealeys also found that the number one reason people didn’t buy from them was because there wasn’t one near their home.
To grow the company even faster in the Philadelphia market, Dan and Kevin Mealey sold the business to the Dallas-based Parallel Investment Partners in 2007.
"We recognized that in order to continue our success we would need to grow. We are still running the business and are co-chairs of the board of Mealey’s," Kevin Mealey said.
Dan’s daughter Ryan Mealey is also working with her father and uncle, traveling the world to find the best furniture and values for the customers.
"It’s great to have young fresh talent," Mealey said.
The Mealeys may have left Wissinoming but they’ve never forgotten their roots or their Northeast values. They continue to give back every year through their holiday giveaways as they did for the Rubin family of Rhawnhurst, who received a house full of furniture after daughter Aubrey wrote a letter in which she sought to bring some happiness to the family’s life. The family suffered severe financial setbacks after Aubrey’s dad Jeff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
"You can always give to a large organization but you don’t necessarily see what happens. By focusing on one family with children, you get to have a direct impact on their lives. It’s very, very rewarding," Kevin Mealey said. ••
For more information about Mealey’s, visit www.mealeysfurniture.com
Mealey’s warehouse and clearance center is open the last Friday and Saturday of every month, including this Friday and Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Morrisville warehouse location, 1200 New Ford Mill Road.
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com