Sonoma Furniture & Mattress expands space, adds new items

After increasing sales during the pandemic, the owners of Sonoma Furniture & Mattress have doubled the size of the store and expanded inventory to showcase real wood and high-quality items.

During the pandemic the store on West Napa Street in Sonoma was deemed an essential business because it sold office furniture, which people needed in order to work remotely. This boosted sales and enabled the owners, Kirk and Liz McGunagle, to expand into the spaces next door.

The store focuses on North American-made furniture and sells furniture for the whole house, including items for the bedroom, living room, dining room and office as well as accessory items such as lighting, rugs and art.

Mattresses include name brands such as Sterns and Foster, Sealy and Tempur-Pedic. Most mattresses are in stock and can be delivered the same day.

“We are the only mattress store in the city of Sonoma,” Liz McGunagle said.

The shop also sells Simply Amish and Copeland furniture, two of the industry’s real- wood furniture brands. Furniture can be delivered across the North Bay Area.

And because Sonoma is home to many seniors, it offers lift chairs and recliners, which are popular items.

“It is really rewarding work to listen to what people want and need,” Liz McGunagle said. “Sometimes, a new chair can make all the difference in the world.”

The roots of the family’s history in the furniture business date back to the 1950s, when Kirk McGunagle’s grandparents opened The Ranch Store House, which they converted from a chicken coop in Petaluma in the 1950s.

His uncle later turned the store into Praetzel’s Fine Furniture and ran it at that location until he retired.

Kirk’s parents established The Chestbed Store in Petaluma in 1977, and Kirk and Liz moved the store to Sonoma in 2004. They changed the name to Sonoma Furniture & Mattress in 2014 to better represent their merchandise.

The McGunagles run the store on West Napa Street with their son, Steve, a fourth-generation member of the family business. While growing up, Steve and his siblings helped with deliveries and learned the ropes. He said he hopes his children will follow in his footsteps.

As operators of a small business in Sonoma, family members run into customers at the grocery store and other places around town. They say they’re proud to sell items that people are satisfied with, because they are held accountable every day.

“It’s all about having a relationship with the customer,” Steve McGunagle said.

“We are helping people with comfort and sleep,” Liz McGunagle said. “We go into their homes and remove their old items and replace them with something new. We are often part of a transitional life moment to be celebrated.”

You can reach Index-Tribune Intern Mia Epstein at [email protected].