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Furnishing a house is exciting! Whether you've just moved into the Mount Maunganui/Tauranga/Bay of Plenty area, or you're an established local who has decided to shop for new furniture, the task of getting the right pieces for your home can be fun, though sometimes a daunting process, so it's good to have some local help and knowledge on hand. 

Shaun Reed, Sales Director of Mount Maunganui store Recliner City, says shopping locally ensures you get the best shopping experience and the professional guidance you need.

"Being a locally owned and operated business means we can be more flexible than other stores," says Reed.  

"We don't have a head office which governs what we stock and how we do things. We source all our own products so we have a diverse range, which means you can always find something a little bit different."

Reed, who is a qualified cabinet maker, knows how to identify a quality piece of furniture.  Whether his customers are looking to buy a sofa, recliner, bed or dining suite, he always helps them find just the right item which is comfortable, stylish and of great quality.

"It's all about attention to detail," says Reed. "You can cover a piece of furniture in a fancy fabric, but it might just have pallet wood underneath it.  We're lucky because we get to see all the furniture here and we can make our mind up about what is good and what isn't."  

Mount Maunganui locals will remember Recliner City in its previous iteration as Barry Muir's Furniture Gallery, which was in operation for 30 years, until February 2023. Reed worked under the watchful eye of Barry Muir for the last 15 of those, after finishing his cabinet-making apprenticeship in early 2008.  

The team at Recliner City is now run by Reed and Jo Randle, the other Director who is behind the scenes looking after the administration and accounts. 

The employees also have extensive knowledge of the furniture industry. There's Steve, the storeman and delivery driver who owned his own second-hand business for a long time in Mount Maunganui and previously worked for Muir; he is still a friendly face delivering the company's furniture. Then there's Neville, who assists Steve with the deliveries. Reed describes both as "down to earth and very approachable".

And then there's the local icon himself, Barry Muir, who still comes in to help out which the Recliner City team very much appreciates.

"His knowledge is vast," says Reed.  "Anyone who's ever known Barry knows he's a really friendly guy who you can easily trust."  

Reed credits Barry Muir's Furniture Gallery as the place where he learnt the key to what makes a successful business – listening to his customers' needs. He prides himself on taking the time to understand each customer's individual requirements and working tirelessly to find the right furniture piece for the client.

He says his knowledgeable approach has built the trust which sees customers returning to see him each time they need a new piece of furniture. Choosing a local business, he emphasises, means staff can really get to know the customer and provide all the guidance needed, making furniture-buying the comfortable and enjoyable experience it should be.

"Our shop in itself is still a bit of an icon," says Reed, explaining that even though the shop has changed its name, it still operates by the same philosophy it did when it was Barry Muir's Furniture Gallery.

"Barry taught me the industry. There's no head office so there's no commission for anyone. We know who the people are around the area and we're not going to force-sell anything to our customers. We're not driven by budgets, we're driven by satisfaction."

So what does the future look like for Recliner City?

"As time goes on the store will change, certain little things will of course change with the times," says Reed. "We are considering adding in a curtains and interior design service to compliment the furniture collection."

Reed says that although the store will change with the times, the service won't.  

"We'll just continue to establish ourselves within the community. Despite the name change, we are still the one stop shop for good quality New Zealand products.  

"We stand by our products and if there's something wrong, we will put our hand up and fix it. The product knowledge within these walls, with the guys that work for Recliner City, is second to none."