The sign says “Leon’s Furniture since 1909.”

But it’s more than just furniture, more than just appliances and more than just electronics.

In fact, the merchandise sold at Leon’s is secondary to the name.

Leon’s Furniture is about a family name, it’s about a reputation for being honest and honourable, it’s about paying special attention to the needs of the customer and standing behind every thing they sell.

Ablan Leon came to Canada in the early 20th century settling in Welland, Ont. and began his career selling clothing from a suitcase door-to-door.

That grew into the A. Leon Company in 1909 and as they say, the rest is history.

Today, there are 63 Leon’s Furniture stores, from Newfoundland to Alberta, serving thousands of loyal customers with the same service Ablan Leon provided in his humble beginnings.

And now Nanaimo is going to get a taste of that service.

Doug and Betty Dobbyn have partnered with Ali Assadi to open B.C.’s first Leon’s Furniture at 6461 Metral Dr., the 28th franchise store across Canada.

And even the new owners were amazed at the company’s attention to family.

“When we first met the Leon family, they didn’t want to know about our business plans, they wanted to know about us, our family,” said Betty.

“They are a family-oriented company and have remained that way.”

Doug and Betty have been in the furniture industry for many years and Ali also owns two furniture stores in Vancouver.

And the trio is excited about bringing Leon’s reputation and selection to Nanaimo.

“Nanaimo’s population and housing market is growing but we’re also drawing customers from Alert Bay, Port Hardy, Campbell River, Port Alberni, Tofino,” said Doug.

“And people have moved here from other provinces and know the Leon’s name and its reputation. The trading area has to be close to 300,000 people.”

And operating under the Leon’s name means benefiting from the Leon’s buying power.

“It’s about offering your customers service, quality and affordable pricing,” said Doug.

“The furniture business has changed dramatically especially in the last 10 years. Cars have gone up in price, houses have gone up in price but furniture is one of the only things that has dropped.”

Leon’s offers everything for the home owner from living room, dining room, bedroom and home office furniture, mattress sets, wall units and entertainment centres to refrigerators and freezers, washer/dryers, dishwashers, televisions, audio systems, cameras and home theatre systems. And in all the well-known brand names.

“That’s why they call themselves Canada’s only furniture superstore,” said Ali.

“The Leon’s buying power allows the manufacturers to compete with off-shore products to get the best price.”

Leon’s is holding its grand opening at noon today (March 1), officially opening the 32,000 square-foot store and its 24,000 sq. ft. showroom.

“Yes, a lot of people know the Leon’s reputation and are looking forward to us being here, but an equal amount of people, who have never heard of Leon’s, are coming in every day and I think are pleasantly surprised,” said Doug.

“What we’re hearing is they now have another alternative to buying furniture.”

source news : nanaimobulletin.com