Built to Last
High-quality merchandise, a service mindset, and customer relationships that span generations have helped Mastroieni Furniture remain a vital part of the community for 100 years and counting.
Today’s world would look unrecognizable to the husband-and-wife team of Nicola and Josephine Mastroieni. In 1926, the Sicily natives opened a modest storefront in North Philadelphia, not far from the former site of Connie Mack Stadium, where they sold high-quality home furnishings.
Although the stadium was demolished in 1976, the Mastroieni name lives on. So does Nicola and Josephine’s store, 100 years after its founding, though it looks much different than the enterprise they brought to life. Now led by the third generation of the Mastroieni family, Lawrence Jr. and Nicholas, better known as Larry and Nick, Mastroieni Furniture now serves customers from its homebase in Montgomeryville, about an hour north of its original location.
Fewer than 1 percent of businesses make it to the century mark, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Larry attributes the long-running success of his family’s business to personalized service, adaptability, and genuine care for the people they serve.
“Not everybody can do what we’ve done here,” Larry says. “It takes determination; you have to want to do it, and you have to like doing it. My brother and I felt the history of what our parents and grandparents started, and we decided to continue the legacy. We wanted to finish the job.”
Mastroieni Furniture’s 12,500-square-foot, two-story showroom features traditional, contemporary, and country furniture from notable brands such as Archbold Furniture, Artisan & Post, Craftmaster Furniture, John Thomas Furniture, and Rowe, among others. Furnishings for family rooms are a particular area of specialty, with options that prioritize comfort, durability, and cleanability. Visitors can also expect to discover a lineup of solid-wood, American-made furniture for bedrooms and dining rooms, available in a variety of finishes.
“The bigger-box chain stores buy 100 blue sofas, so they’ll be happy to sell you a blue sofa,” Larry says. “Our customer base tends to be more experienced and they have the means to afford exactly what they want. That’s what we provide. If you want a green sofa with yellow pillows, we can fine-tune that for you, with finishes that are ordered to your precise taste. You can buy the same sectional 20 different ways and lengths, with hundreds of fabrics to choose from. You don’t have to settle for what someone else tells you that you want.”
As the home-furnishing industry has evolved, so has the Mastroieni family. Evolution has been not only a necessity, but also a competitive advantage.
“We listen and pay attention to trends, which is the main thing someone in our business has to do in order to stay relevant,” Larry says. “If you haven’t bought a recliner in the last 20 years, you’re going to be amazed with today’s options. You now have power recliners, with power lumbar support, power headrests, and wireless chargers—all kinds of electronics and innovations to improve people’s comfort.
“The businesses that didn’t make it, they sold whatever they wanted,” he continues. “If you’re still selling French provincial furniture that was popular in the 1950s, you’re probably not going to be in business for very long. This is a fashion business, so you need to adapt and be current with the trends and styles of the times.”
Nick credits Mastroieni Furniture’s success throughout its history to having a friendly and knowledgeable staff to assist customers. All team members, including several other members of the Mastroieni family who work at the store, are proud to build lasting relationships with customers throughout the area. In some cases, they have worked with multiple generations of the same family.
“If you’re coming into our showroom and saying, ‘We’re redoing our living room,’ that’s where the conversation begins,” he adds. “We’re going to ask you a lot of questions: sofa or sectional, hardwood floors or rugs, wallpaper, paint, drapes—we want to know all about the room so we can put the package together for you. The size of the room is a big consideration, too; you can buy the most beautiful sofa in the world, but it needs to fit in the room comfortably. No matter the need, we’re here to guide you.”
The Mastroieni family purchased the property of its current location in Montgomeryville in 1970. They made the move from Philadelphia to Montgomery County four years later.
“Montgomeryville was a quiet place back then; most of our business still came out of Philadelphia and Lansdale-Ambler,” Larry adds. “It was cow country, with more farms than homes. My brother and I have been very fortunate in that this area has really expanded and took us with it.”
To his point, the Montgomeryville-North Wales area has since become a booming population center. Mastroieni Furniture is proud to be among the many excellent shopping, dining, and other establishments that contribute to the area’s high quality of life.
As he, his brother, and the rest of the Mastroieni family celebrate the 100-year milestone, Nick reflects on how far the business has come and how much has changed since its founding. He also says some things will always stay the same—namely, the commitment to serving the community with high-quality furniture and personalized service.
When asked what his parents and grandparents would think about how the business has grown under his and his brother’s leadership, he takes a moment before answering.
“I think they’d be happy,” he says. “My grandmother always kept the store as clean as her house, and we have maintained that high standard. The people, the styles, and the technology have changed quite a bit over the years, but we’re still doing exactly what we did for generations before us: trying to take care of our customers better than anyone else.”
Mastroieni Furniture
1113 Bethlehem Pike
Montgomeryville, PA 18936
(215) 643-6372
Photo by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2026
