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Maynes still evolving after 60 years

Six decades and counting: Bill Mayne, the founder of Mayne's Furniture and son Scott, celebrate 60 years in the furmiture business (Photograph by Blaire Simmons)

Maynes Furniture store may be 60 years old this year — but it’s moving with the times.

The firm created a new online presence at the start of the year and Scott Mayne, the second generation in the business started by father Bill, said it was a growing force.

Scott Mayne said: “The website has been well received. It’s been a good addition to our store. What we sell in the store, we put online as well.

“Each month, it’s tending to go up and that’s my focus. It’s all things we have in inventory — people can buy it online, come in and get it or we can deliver it.”

Bill Mayne started out in the furniture business in partnership with his brother Charles in the 1960s, but the two parted ways to start separate businesses.

Bill Mayne operated several stores in Hamilton, starting on Church Street and later opened a second store on Spurling Hill in the late 1970s on the site now occupied by Seon Place.

He also ran an outlet store on Reid Street before moving all his operations into a single store on King Street.

But in 2011, the company moved out of town to its warehouse next to the MarketPlace supermarket at Heron Bay, Southampton.

Bill Mayne, now 85, still goes into work every day.

He said: “It’s been hard work. I’m waiting for the day I can say I’m retired, but I have fun. It’s different things every day. I enjoy what I’m doing.”

Scott Mayne added that the secret of a longstanding business was to be flexible and adapt to circumstances.

He said: “There are plenty of people cone and gone throughout the years. We’ve tried to adapt to the times — sometimes it’s successful, sometimes it’s not.

“Over the last year, we have gone to an online shopping experience. People can buy anything we carry online and arrange finance online.

“It wouldn’t have been that way ten years ago. It’s changing times and it’s very difficult for retail to stay in business, I don’t care what you’re doing.

“One thing we are known for is we do our own financing here in store.

“When I got involved, we were down at the top of Spurling Hill. It’s evolved through the years and we consolidated all of that into one store opposite the fire station and we were there for about 35 years before we moved to Heron Bay almost five years ago.

“We shrunk the business — it’s a different type of business than it was at one time, but the principles are still the same.

“We just try to do affordable furniture, the best quality at an affordable price.”

Scott Mayne added that the business hit a rough patch between 2007 and 2009 as the recession began to bite in Bermuda.

But he said: “Fortunately for us, it bottomed out and it’s been a more constant sales volume for last five years. It hasn’t increased, but it didn’t go down like it did.

“Hopefully, the world economy will get better and we as a country will get better. It seems to be getting better as a country, in a business sense.”

Scott Mayne added, however, that he did not see online replacing a bricks and mortar store completely.

He said: “People want to feel things and see them and know what they’re getting. I think both are needed. It’s almost like two separate businesses in one, but they coexist.”