'The Furniture Store' makes comeback

COMES DOWN TO ONE THING

We enjoy what we do. We really do,”

Tommy Burner, owner The Furniture Store

FORT MADISON - 'The Furniture Store' is back in town, around 14 years after a fire destroyed their original family-owned business in 2012. 
Tommy Burner said that so far, business has been steady, especially with more engagement from the Fort Madison community on Facebook. Locals often tell Burner they remember the original store, and they are glad to have it in town.
“We hear nothing but 'thank you for being back' from the community,” Burner said.
'The Furniture Store' sells new, high-quality furniture items, and they have their own moving and setup service for an hourly rate. The business is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To contact the store, they have a Facebook under the name 'Fort Madison Furniture (The Furniture Store)' and their store number is (319) 372-7313 
The new store location sits at 608 9th Street. It’s just down the road from their sister store, the 'Fort Madison Furniture Store' at 717 Avenue G, where they sell used furniture. 'The Furniture Store' also has a separate, but family-run store in Burlington, where they sell new and used furniture.
Three big, renovated rooms stage the many beds, chairs, sofas, and tables in Fort Madison. The decor is neutral and set up so everyone can visualize the items in their own homes. Part of the reason it took a while to get the store back in Fort Madison was that they couldn’t find a building with enough space for their inventory. Burner and his family renovated each room down to the now polished, hardwood floors, one of the most difficult parts to restore. 
Burner said he wanted to embrace his family business roots here, which is exemplified by the historic and local signs decorating the walls. An example is the ‘Port of Fort Madison, IA’ lifebuoy sign, which hung on the side of the old Fort Madison casino boat. 
“We just wanted to bring a piece of where we started back to Fort Madison. I mean, Fort Madison helped put us on the map.”
Many corporate-owned furniture stores overlook the quality and longevity of their products, aiming to only maximize profits. What makes 'The Furniture Store' special, aside from being a family-owned, local business, is that it offers high-quality products sold by someone experienced in the furniture and auctioning industries, with local ties to the people they sell to. For Burner, it comes down to one thing.
“We enjoy what we do. We really do,” Burner said.