Local La-Z-Boy Galleries celebrates 50 years of family ownership

Entering La-Z-Boy Galleries of Albuquerque is like settling into a favorite recliner - and not just because of the store’s inviting chairs, sofas or mattresses. The comfort comes from being treated like family, just the way the Mauldins have welcomed customers for generations of local ownership over the last 50 years.

Arthur Mauldin and son Jeff Mauldin established one of the first La-Z-Boy proprietary stores in the nation in 1975, in a 7,000-square-foot space leased from a Baptist church in Albuquerque. After a few moves to accommodate growth, plus a company-wide evolution from recliners-only to whole-house furnishings in the 1980s, the business found a permanent home at San Mateo and McLeod in 1992, under Jeff as president and his brother, Kevin, as general manager.

Formerly a dilapidated boat dealership, the 28,000-square-foot facility has been the family’s flagship ever since. It provides a broad selection of fine home furnishings in an intentionally “home-like” environment that sees thousands of repeat customers.

“From management, to the sales staff, to designers, even our delivery people, we have built a strong culture around our mission statement: passionately creating customers for life, one exceptional experience at a time,’” Jeff said during an in-store interview that included his vice president, Ashley Mauldin.

The youngest of Jeff’s four children, Ashley grew up in the showroom. At age 10, Uncle Kevin paid her $5 an hour to clean baseboards. By high school she was assisting her mother, Marilyn, at the front counter.

“When we went on family road trips, he (Jeff) always had to stop into La-Z-Boy stores to find out about their best practices," Ashley recalled.

A dedication to excellence, disciplined focus, and a customer-centric mindset that views everyone as an extension of family has been crucial to the Mauldins’ historic success.

“When you’re young, you don’t worry about every reason you’re going to fail; you only think about how you’re going to succeed. I really think that was the key,” said Jeff, who had dreamed of going into business since he was a child, even envisioning the building that he’d own one day. Later, he graduated from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Business.

In the early years, Jeff said, he and his father saved every penny they made: “I didn’t go out and spend it on a new car like a lot of my friends. I kept it all in the business.”

Today, not only is the San Mateo location believed to be the oldest operating independent La-Z-Boy store in the U.S., but it has also been recognized as among the top 10 stores in the nation, serving as a model for the company’s retail sites nationwide.

La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries of Albuquerque is also the largest and oldest family-owned furniture business in the metro today. In addition to the San Mateo store, the entire enterprise totals 88,000 square feet, including a West Side location that the Mauldins built from the ground up in 1999, and a distribution center on Jefferson Street that both warehouses and delivers products. Jeff owns all the real estate outright. He employs 50 people and provides competitive wages and comprehensive benefits. The business experiences little turnover. One recent La-Z-Boy retiree had worked for the Mauldins for 40 years.

Coincident with the Mauldins’ 50th anniversary this year, the Ellison Road La-Z-Boy gallery near Cottonwood Mall is set to be remodeled in line with the national brand’s refresh to “concept stores.” Customers can expect a more contemporary, open appearance, with fewer objects covering walls and removal of the traditional sales desk. The San Mateo site is expected to undergo renovations next year.

A longer-term goal is to open a third location in Albuquerque, Santa Fe or Rio Rancho. (The family once had a La-Z-Boy showroom in El Paso, Texas, but it closed many years ago.)

Products sold will continue to reflect the quality and diversity for which the La-Z-Boy brand has been known since two cousins, Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, developed the iconic recliner in 1927 in Monroe, Mich., which remains the company’s headquarters. Offerings today include everything from the classic La-Z-Boy recliner, to dining sets, bedroom furniture, wall units and entertainment systems, and even accessories from around the globe.

About 95% of the manufacturing is still conducted in the U.S., Jeff said proudly of his business’ American heritage and of the support he’s had from the New Mexico community. A wall of framed photo collages serves as a pictorial timeline near the customer service desk, marking major events as well as day-to-day happenings over the last 50 years.

“We want to make a friend first before we dive into the business part,” Ashley said. “We want customers to feel comfortable and not pressured. We really do build lifelong relationships. It’s more than just a sale.”