Meubles Levac Furniture celebrates 65 years in business

Meubles Levac Furniture is preparing to celebrate its 65th anniversary in style, with a focus on its customers. And customer service is what sets apart this independently-owned furniture business, now in the hands of the third generation of the Levac family.

Dan Levac, who owns and manages the business with his sister, Nicole Larocque, emphasizes that in today’s competitive world, it may sound like a cliché, personalized customer service and staff who know their products inside and out is the name of the game.

“People are better-informed these days. They go online and read about products and compare and know almost exactly what they want when they come in here,” Levac said.

“So it’s doubly important that our staff have excellent product knowledge. That’s why we take courses – to be up to date,” Levac explained.
The other challenge for Meubles Levac is ensuring that inventory is current, on trend, and that the choice is there for customers. Times have changed from decades ago when there were only two models of refrigerators or kitchen ranges for people to choose from.

“Often, there are three or four models of most appliances. We need to know what we are talking about when we are helping a customer make a buying decision,” Levac continued.

One thing that enables Levac to have a varied inventory that is always in keeping with the latest home décor styles, is his membership in a buying group.
“We go to shows to see what is in, what’s new and what people are looking for, but it helps to be part of a buying group and share our knowledge and pool our resources to get better offerings for our clients,” Levac said.

Right now, browns and neutrals are in, says Levac, who says decorators keep him informed on what is current and advise on decorating room settings in the Highway 34 store.

Dan Levac is the first to say that things have changed in the past 20 years. Gone are the days when a young couple would come in to furnish a complete home. Most of the time, a young couple has been living together for some time before they decide to get married. Levac also says that parents are often helping young people to get established by purchasing furniture or appliances.

On the other hand, he says, young professionals tend to go all out to get the furniture and appliances they want right from the start.

“We are selling dreams here, a lot of the time. Sometimes, people are here to get something for their homes that they have wanted for a long time. Sometimes, they have saved up for it. How we furnish our homes is a part of who we are. It’s not like a hammer or a pair of shoes.”

Dan joined the business about 25 years ago, in the mid-eighties. After graduating from Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute, Dan says his father, Roch, told him to gain experience by going to work for other companies before returning to the family business. The move was a good one, says Dan in retrospect.

“But I was ready to come to work here,” he recalls. “This was always my dream, even when I was a kid. We used to live a few doors from here and I had a little girlfriend and we used to sit on the porch and I remember telling here that this very piece of land would be a good location for a furniture store,” Dan remembers, smiling.