by Jillian Netherland | photography by Nicole Rand
For more than 130 years, Lewiston’s FX Marcotte has sold furniture of the highest quality while providing topmost customer service. Having recently added a second location in South Portland, FX Marcotte is widely regarded as Maine and Northern New England’s home for contemporary and classic furniture at affordable prices.
A history in helping
The story of FX Marcotte – the store, that is – goes back to 1888 when 29-year-old Quebec immigrant, Francis Xavier Marcotte first opened the doors to his shop at the corner of Lincoln and Chestnut Street in Lewiston. Originally a general store selling staples the community needed, ranging from kitchenware to household appliances and groceries, the shop eventually began specializing in furniture – a natural fit for Marcotte, who was a carpenter himself.
Transitioning to a focus in furniture led Marcotte to begin each morning at the train station to pick up freight orders. It was here that Marcotte took notice of French-Canadian immigrants arriving in Maine, an experience he understood well, as it had once been his own.
“He used to meet the immigrants from Canada at the train station and would help them get on their feet by setting them up with furniture, finding an apartment, and getting them work at the mills,” shares Mike Bonneau, current owner of FX Marcotte. “They would pay him weekly until their debt was paid – it was all handshake agreements back then, but they said would pay, and they did.”
Early entrepreneurship
Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, FX Marcotte became a pillar in Lewiston as the furniture shop became a local household name. Community presence and visibility continued to grow as the shop employees crafted their own floats to participate in holiday parades. Marcotte himself explored new endeavors in addition to the store, due to his own talent and entrepreneurial spirit.
“He certainly had his hands in many things,” Bonneau shares of Marcotte’s impact on the city. “He also built Marcotte Nursing Home, now a part of Saint Mary’s, as well as his own apartment in the same building.”
Marcotte lived in the apartment he had built for himself until his death at the age of 83 in 1942. Although Marcotte and his wife never had children of their own, the store continues as a family-owned and operated business by the Bonneaus and remains in the very same location in which it originally opened.
A new family business
“We are not related to the Marcottes, but the store has been in my family for generations,” shares Bonneau, who recalls his grandfather and great uncle working together, eventually bringing his great uncle’s son, Paul, into the business – the same relative who ultimately convinced Bonneau to leave the banking world to try his hand at selling furniture.
“I had a great job in bank management, but it was the same thing every day,” recalls Bonneau, who made the career change to join the family business in 1986. “My uncle was managing the store, had some employees retire – I figured I’d try it, telling myself I could always go back to banking if it wasn’t a good fit for me.”
Two years later, Bonneau was part of the 100th anniversary celebration of FX Marcotte and in 2012, took over as owner.
“I’ve been here 37 years, and it’s a different thing every day,” Bonneau shares. “I can honestly say that no two days are the same and I am continually happy to have made the career change – I am never bored.”
Through the decades
Despite being in the same business in the same location for nearly four decades, hearing Bonneau’s stories of his time at FX Marcotte makes it easy to understand his love of the business and the community – even in the face of certain challenges.
“When I first started working here, I would have customers who only spoke French coming in about three to five times per week,” recalls Bonneau. “I didn’t speak the language, but I was able to understand it well enough to help people get what they need.”
Then, in 1996, a fire started across the street from the store, burning an entire apartment complex to the ground – as well as spreading to the warehouse that stored FX Marcotte’s inventory.
“I remember walking with my son, seeing the smoke, and thinking it looked like it was coming from the same area where the shop was,” Bonneau remembers. “We stood inside the store just watching through the windows as the firetrucks arrived and everything burned.” Fortunately, no lives were lost to the fire’s devastation, but the entirety of FX Marcotte’s stored inventory and backup stock was destroyed.
“We contacted the manufacturers immediately and they shipped replacements to us as fast as they could,” Bonneau recalls. “They didn’t miss a beat – it was a true testament to the longstanding relationship between the store and its vendors.”
Broadening horizons
Strong, generation-spanning rapport is not solely shared between FX Marcotte and its manufacturers – many third, fourth, and fifth generation customers are known to shop at the store today. Bonneau attributes FX Marcotte’s longevity to its philosophy of establishing relationships with its customers. The success of this philosophy is what led to the decision to open the South Portland location in 2015.
Bonneau always believed the FX Marcotte business model could work in another location; when a building that had just happened to have been a different furniture store previously became available on South Portland’s Western Avenue, he knew the time was right.
“It wasn’t a huge change, as we knew the business model was successful, but it was a brand-new audience outside of Lewiston, and we had to reestablish,” explains Bonneau, who splits his time each week between both stores. “Like any new venture, we had to get the lay of the land, endure the growing pains of trial and error – the whole premise to business is adjusting and staying ahead of the curve.”
The product found at the Lewiston and South Portland stores differs to accommodate each market’s varying style and needs, but the same manufacturers are carried at each.
Boasting unique furniture and galleries between the two storefronts, each location features only the finest in leather and motion furniture, sofas, chairs and sectionals, living room and bedroom collections, formal and casual dining sets, entertainment centers, and a complete mattress center. Customers also enjoy a free design consultation, as well as the most important piece of the FX Marcotte experience – superior customer service.
“We sell top quality furniture at fair prices,” Bonneau says proudly. “Take care of your customers, and they’ll take care of you – it’s a philosophy that truly works in any industry.”
Sturdy foundation
Bonneau has seen many changes over his years in the furniture business and on Lincoln Street. From the neighborhood itself shifting from residential to commercial, to fluctuating styles and color trends, keeping pace with the community and industry as a whole has been a continual moving target to stand the test of time – a challenging feat, but one in which FX Marcotte continues to excel.
One fundamental piece that has not changed through the years or different owners is a value that Francis Xavier Marcotte embodied when first opening his shop back in 1888 – helping the community.
“The most rewarding part of the job for me is matching people’s wants and needs with what we have, especially when they walk through the door unsure,” Bonneau explains. “Sometimes people come in asking for one thing, then buy something completely different when they’re done – that’s the challenge, but it’s also the fun part. We aren’t interested in selling something and never seeing the person again – we always want to establish relationships with our customers – it’s what’s gotten us this far, and what will take us into the next 135 years.”
FX Marcotte
Lewiston | fxmarcotte.com
