HADLEY — Sofas, recliners, coffee tables and end tables for living rooms. Mattresses and bed frames for bedrooms. Custom-made Amish hardwood tables for dining rooms.
Opened as a small store a decade ago inside a plaza on College Street in Amherst, a new, larger location for Talon Furniture & Mattress at Mountain Farms Mall this fall is giving the locally owned business an opportunity to broaden its reach to both homeowners and renters by widening its offerings, through both a selection of fabrics and finishes, as well as home decor.
“This allows us to expand into being a furniture store where we can offer everything,” says Jasper Adams, Talon’s store manager. “We’re trying to have quality products that are affordable for most.”
Talon’s new 12,000-square-foot showroom, at least five times as large as its previous site, includes rugs, lamps, clocks and mirrors, and even objects of art from a local wood sculptor, arranged near the many mattresses and sofas and what Adams refers to as “a whole lot more.”
“It’s a mix of things to keep the identity from the old store, the same essence of the old store, but also providing a more complete furniture experience,” said Adams, a Leverett native. “It’s the same store, but a bit different, and allows us to do more stuff and cater to more of the community.”
The space at the 1970s-era mall was originally renovated for the Planet Fitness in 2008 and, when the workout gym moved to Hampshire Mall about a decade ago, in the time since has occasionally been used by Spirit Halloween. Talon’s overhaul of the location included removing the purple and yellow from the walls, painting them in more muted tones.
Talon is owned by Taylor Fitzsimmons and her husband, Allen, of Belchertown. Fitzsimmons explains that she created Talon at a time when she was outfitting Airbnb properties, and traveled to an IKEA in the Boston area for furnishings.
“We took a chance and sensed a need in this area with students, graduate students and locals,” Fitzsimmons said.
But since the pandemic Fitzsimmons said students are less inclined to be customers, instead ordering their furniture online. This prompted Talon to make the move to a different retail model, keeping prices aggressive on everything from recliners to sleeper sofas.
The store has a $499 sofa, or one with custom reinforced seats that sell for $5,000 or more. At any one time there are 25 mattresses on the floor, many selling for $700 to $1,200.
Talon is still the new kid on the block, among established local retailers like Fly By Night in Norhampton, Danco in Hatfield and Andy’s & The Oak Shoppe in Greenfield, as well as regional stores like Raymour & Flanagan.
The biggest change is more upholstery and higher-end products, with many fabric, wood and stain choices. All products are custom made, in three to four weeks, which represents a fast turnaround.
“It has evolved a lot and as we’ve gotten bigger we were able to get those lines,” Fitzsimmons said. “Expansion allows us to carry better products.”
One of those lines is England, a Tennessee-based company that has lots of different fabric options. Therapedic mattresses make up many sales, as these are “certapure” certified , with no off gassing, with Aireloom mattresses available within two weeks of order.
Fitzsimmons said mattresses have turned into the big seller.
Talon does both the delivering and removal, throughout the area, as well as into Connecticut, southern Vermont and central Massachusetts.
“A mattress or sofa can be drop shipped to a house within a week,” Adams said. “We aim for convenience, affordability and quality.”
The challenge now is visibility, with the store facing the Norwottuck Rail Trail and South Maple Street, though the hope is those shopping at Walmart or Whole Foods will discover Talon.
Adams said longtime customers haven’t been deterred, with a lot of repeat business.
“We still provide a convenient location to come to and where people can try things,” Adams said.
One of those who has been to Talon before is Paul Di Benedetto of Amherst, who dropped by the new store seeking a recliner for his brother. He said he previously bought a bed and has found Talon to be “great people” with good prices.
“They tell you what they’re going to do and they do it,” Di Benedetto said.
Fitzsimmons said she will evaluate the performance each month, with hopes of getting new customers and building on those familiar with the store from advertising its proximity to Amherst College. The hope, though, is to broaden with customers from South Hadley, Holyoke and Springfield.
Being close to the Norwottuck Rail Trail and its bicyclists and walkers, the store has a water filling station, and offers appreciation.
“We are always so thankful to our customers,” Fitzsimmons said. “We wouldn’t be successful without them.”