High-end, hand-picked, one-of a-kind pieces signify the selections at J.P. and Teresa McMenamy’s M.C.M. Fine Furniture Warehouse
How many times have you been a guest in someone’s home and found yourself in awe of a unique, eye-catching piece of furniture that elegantly and effortlessly elevates a room? “Where did you find this?” you may ask, knowing for certain it’s not a mass-produced piece that anyone can easily purchase.
It’s these “hidden treasures” that can really make a room special, and perhaps no one understands this better than J.P. and Teresa McMenamy, owners of M.C.M. Fine Furniture Warehouse in Suntree.
“The one thing I hear over and over from first-time visitors to M.C.M. is, ‘Wow! You normally don’t find furniture like this around here,’” says J.P. That’s because he and his wife specialize in high-end designer pieces that are usually only found in major metropolitan areas. Luxury designers and manufacturers carried at M.C.M. include Henredon, Barbara Barry, E.J. Victor, Ralph Lauren, Bernhardt, Ferguson-Copeland, Baker, Maitland-Smith, Theodore Alexander, Century and many more.
And while the pieces at M.C.M. exude the fine style and craftsmanship of these designers and manufacturers, they don’t carry the sticker shock.
“The nature of our business is that we purchase overruns, overstocks, discontinued
items and market samples way below their wholesale cost, and therefore we sell them at or below their true wholesale. So our inventory is constantly changing day by day,” explains J.P.
It’s a unique business concept, and one that by most accounts the McMenamys fell into on accident, but nonetheless, one that has turned out to be a perfect entrepreneurial fit for the couple.
Unnatural Occurrences Lead To Natural Fit
In 2004, the destructive hurricane season left the McMenamy’s house in ruins. As the couple re-built their home over the years following, they shopped up and down the East Coast — oftentimes ending up in North Carolina — for fine furniture closeout items.
During that time, J.P. retired from his father’s recycling business, East Coast Paper Stock, Inc., and ventured into the real estate industry. His found his niche in this industry through “staging” larger vacant homes to initially get the listings. “I purchased a warehouse full of high-end furniture and would move it from home to home,” he says. “Clients would then purchase the home, and oftentimes also purchase the entire furniture package, or just a few pieces.”
Upon witnessing J.P.’s talent for space planning through one of his staged listings, one of his clients requested he furnish her newly purchased 10,000 square-foot home. Although he had never taken on such a big design project, he and Teresa accepted the challenge. “Within a couple of months, we furnished the home, including draperies, and assisted the client in moving,” says J.P. “This wonderful woman taught me a lot about business, communication and caring for one’s employees.”
The culmination of these events eventually
led to the launch of M.C.M.
Distinction without Disruption
Today, each piece carried at M.C.M. is hand-selected by J.P. and Teresa from facilities in North Carolina and Southern Virginia. The McMenamys have agreements with many manufacturers to purchase “samples,” which are prototype pieces that are built by research and development teams and ultimately tweaked by furniture designers.
They also purchase “market samples” that are pieces designed specifically for the semi-annual High Point Market. Following this week-long market in High Point, North Carolina, millions of square feet of brand new furniture is sold at a fraction of its wholesale price to dealers around the country. Depending upon the reaction of furniture-store owners, the manufacturer decides whether or not to put the piece into production. “So, when you purchase a piece from us, chances are it is a one of a kind,” says J.P.
Because M.C.M’s pieces are so distinctive, oftentimes the trick for homeowners is to determine how to incorporate these treasures into their existing décor without disrupting the flow of a room. J.P. says it can be done – and that’s where a designer’s
eye comes in handy. In fact, J.P. says he and his wife will visit a client’s home before a purchase is made and give a professional opinion on whether the desired piece will work. And if it’s determined it won’t, the McMenamys will scour their suppliers’ selections to determine if a better fit is available.
“We will even come into a home and work with existing pieces,” he adds. “We re-arrange furniture, re-hang artwork and make sure the scale of the pieces fit the space. Then, if there is a need for any new pieces, we begin the hunt.”
M.C.M. Fine Furniture Warehouse is located at 3280 Suntree Boulevard in the Suntree Business Center. For more information, call (321) 610-4132.
