PEKIN – In April 1937, Swiss immigrant Joseph Steger opened a 5,000-square-foot furniture store at 420 Margaret St.
A relocation, three major additions and 85 years later, Steger’s Furniture and Mattress employs 25 people and occupies an entire city block of Court Street. Steger’s also operates a 50,000-square-foot distribution center in North Pekin.
“Having a big warehouse and lots of inventory has been the key to our tremendous growth,” said Steger’s president, Jack Steger. “On most of our furniture and mattresses, we can offer pickup or delivery immediately. This has been huge.”
The Steger family is now in its fourth generation in the furniture business. While some family-owned businesses may shut down because younger generations don’t wish to be involved in them, Steger’s VP of operations Bryan Steger said keeping his generation engaged was not a problem.
“We all kind of worked in the business growing up,” he said. “I've worked in the warehouse. I've been on the delivery truck. I answered phones. We were all pretty involved ... being around the store and working in the store in high school and college.”
His father had a rule for his children that may have helped increase their appreciation for working in a family business. He insisted that they work, at least temporarily, somewhere other than Steger’s Furniture.
"There are some family businesses that don't work because family members don't get along,” Steger said. “But I think we have good perspective from working in the ‘real world.’”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to many businesses, Steger said the family business didn't have a great deal of difficulty weathering the past two years thanks to being fiscally conservative. Steger’s had to close its doors in March 2020, but since reopening in April 2020, he estimates that the store has consistently seen a 25% increase in sales when compared with pre-pandemic figures.
“It’s been pretty remarkable,” he said. “We're pretty fortunate, I think, to be in the home furnishings business because (people were) stuck at home and couldn’t go anywhere or do anything. People were just investing in their homes, and we were the beneficiary of that.”
Steger’s is celebrating its 85th anniversary this month with a storewide sale running through May 9. The store is also hosting a business after-hours event with the Pekin Chamber of Commerce from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 28. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served and the public is encouraged to attend.
"The Steger’s Furniture team enhances the Pekin community in so many ways, supporting and contributing their time, talent and treasure to better our community and the region,” stated Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy McCoy. “The Steger family supports the arts, community events, and Jack Steger champions economic development in Pekin through his service to the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce and the city of Pekin’s Economic Development Advisory Committee. Their building renovations are eye catching and are a beautiful update.”