‘A huge milestone.’ Multigenerational business celebrates 50 years in downtown Macon

Becky Purser
·3 min read

A multigenerational business that’s an institution in downtown Macon celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4.

Father-and-son team Bert Maxwell III and Bert Maxwell IV operate Bert Maxwell Furniture Company at 479 Second St., a business that Maxwell III opened in 1972 and has passed ownership on to Maxwell IV.

The 41-year old Maxwell IV attributed their success in part to their “great loyal customers.”

“To still be hanging around is a testament to the hard work that my dad and I have put in over the years and all of our employees trying to provide good service and good quality product,” he said.

The father and son team of Bert Maxwell III and Bert Maxwell IV are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the store opening July 4, 1972.
The father and son team of Bert Maxwell III and Bert Maxwell IV are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the store opening July 4, 1972.

A six-story showcase

They showcase furniture on all six floors of the building.

“We have a floor of patio furniture, a floor of dining rooms, a floor of bedrooms, and three floors of living rooms with offices, mattresses and lift chairs mixed in,” Maxwell IV said. “So a little bit of everything.”

Nothing beats checking out furniture in person, as opposed to ordering online, he said.

“Everybody’s body is different and needs support in different areas,” Maxwell IV said. “So, it’s like buying a pair of shoes. It’s got to fit right, and you got to see it, you got to feel it.

“You might be able to buy cheap, inexpensive furniture online. But a nice quality piece you need to see it, feel it and make sure it matches your home. To get what you want and good quality, it’s best to see it in person.”

Furniture available in the mezzanine at Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon. The store founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4.
Furniture available in the mezzanine at Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon. The store founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4.

Maxwell IV and his wife, Martha, have two children, daughter, McKay who’s nearly 1, and son, Bert Maxwell V, who is 5.

Whether his son or daughter follow in his footsteps into the family furniture business will be up to them, he said.

When Maxwell IV headed off to college, he was not planning to join the family business but thinking instead of going into banking.

“I thought I was going to go elsewhere to a bigger city and do other things and then I liked the pace of life here and working with family — a little more appealing at a certain age of life,” he said.

Bert Maxwell IV, left, and Bert Maxwell III transfer furniture over to the store’s delivery truck Wednesday morning. The store celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4th.
Bert Maxwell IV, left, and Bert Maxwell III transfer furniture over to the store’s delivery truck Wednesday morning. The store celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4th.

Deep roots

While Bert Maxwell Furniture Company has been in downtown Macon for 50 years, the Maxwell family has been in the furniture business for more than 100 years.

In 1904, Bert Maxwell Sr. opened a furniture store in Augusta — delivering furniture by horse and buggy. He sold the furniture on credit and collected 50 cents each week.

His son, Bert Maxwell Jr., also made a career of selling furniture — retiring from the family furniture chain that grown to 36 stores and was known as Maxwell Home Furnishings.

The family sold the business and the new owners kept the Maxwell Home Furnishings name. Maxwell III opened Bert Maxwell Furniture Company under the tutelage of his father next to what was then Maxwell Home Furnishings.

The main showroom at Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon. The store founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4.
The main showroom at Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon. The store founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 celebrates its 50th anniversary July 4.

“Fifty years is a huge milestone for one person to be in business — much less four for a 118 years,” Maxwell III said. “So, we are very proud of our furniture heritage and we want it to continue.”

Maxwell III was also asked about the store’s longevity.

“We have found that most of our business — year after year after year — is repeat business,” he said. “People come back to us. So, they like our products. They like our prices. They like our service.

“We’re not a chain store … We’re a true old-timey furniture store; not a big box store … We cater to local clientele and what the people here like and not what the people up at corporate say they should like.”

The father and son team of Bert Maxwell III and Bert Maxwell IV are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the store opening July 4, 1972.
The father and son team of Bert Maxwell III and Bert Maxwell IV are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the store opening July 4, 1972.
Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 4.
Bert Maxwell Furniture Company in downtown Macon founded by Bert Maxwell III in 1972 will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 4.