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J. Chauncey's Furnishings and Gifts to celebrate grand opening

By Michelle Symington

Staff Writer



WEST SPRINGFIELD Although J. Chauncey's Furnishings and Gifts opened its doors on Century Way on Sept. 7, the owners have planned a grand opening for Oct. 3.

The new store, which is operated by two generations of the Watson family Mark and Marsha Watson and their two sons, Dan and Jonathan specializes in European antique reproductions and Lee upholstered furniture.

"We chose to carry Lee upholstered furniture because it is also a family run business with a commitment to quality, said Mark Watson. "The frames of the sofas are guaranteed for life and the fabric choices are beautiful. In addition to the fully upholstered pieces, we also carry leather and washable slipcover lines, both by Lee."

The store also offers a variety of gift items, such as candles, soaps from France, and Pine Cone Hill pajamas. The Watson's also offer furniture repair.

Dan Watson, one of the owners, explained that his family always wanted to work together as a family.

Before deciding on the furniture store, he said the family looked into other options.

"This is something [in which] everyone of us brought something to the table and made us a team," he said.

He explained that he and his brother had worked in a furniture store while they were in college and he has experience in sales and marketing.

Dan Watson said that his father also has sales experience, his mother enjoys decorating and his brother is "a jack of all trades."

There is also a professional designer on staff.

Martha Watson said, "I love decorating and at many times, I have had a hard time finding unique pieces that were reasonably priced. This store allows me to work at something I love to do. We also have a professional designer on staff, Amy Livingstone. She is available to assist customers with any questions they might have."

When looking at the location for the store, Dan Watson said he did not see any other store in the area that specialized in furniture with the English and French country look to it.

The store consists of 3,000 square feet of showroom as well as a workshop area for repairing the furniture. The warehouse is off-site.

According to Dan Watson, the family chose the name J. Chauncey's because Chauncey is a family middle name.

Dan Watson said that as a whole, it has been great working with his family.

"We are a family business," he said, adding that his family has a lot of pride invested in the store.

He added that he would like people to know that they "will do anything we can to earn them as a customer and to keep them."

"J. Chauncey's is a dream come true, born out of a lot of hard work," he said. "We have invested a lot of ourselves into this store and have a tremendous amount of pride in the finished product. We even have a furniture repair service that makes house calls. We will do everything we can to exceed our customer's expectations."

For more information about the new store or to view photographs of the furniture, visit www.Jchaunceys.com or call the store at 214-7770.

The ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the business will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 3. The store is located at 3 Century Way in West Springfield.