Breuners is the oldest privately held furniture retailer in the country with a history that stretches back to the California Gold Rush days. John Breuner, a German cabinetmaker turned gold miner, founded the company in 1856 in Sacramento, California when he realized selling to gold miners was more lucrative than mining gold for himself.

By the early 1960’s, John Breuner’s great grandson, William R. Breuner had been named President and Chief Operating Officer at the age of 38. He vastly expanded the home furnishings retail business in the 1960’s and 1970’s taking the company from just six stores to twenty. He also led the acquisition of a most predominate furniture rental company in Southern California, adding to the company’s holdings with an additional twenty stores.

Mr. Breuner was a pioneer in furniture retailing. “He saw great opportunity…,” recalled his daughter Emily Breuner-Jaquette.“Breuners is where you go for high-quality furniture and when you care about (getting) customer service.”

Breuner’s stores went public in 1968, and later in 1977 the company’s stockholders agreed to sell majority shares to Marshall Fields Co. of Chicago. It was the first time in four generations that the Breuner family no longer controlled the furniture chain. William Breuner remained at the helm of the home furnishings division for some time, but later resigned. The family severed all ties with the company by 1985.

The retailing chain was sold several times in the years that followed. By 1995, the company had acquired several other major furniture chains, expanding its presence in California, Nevada, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In 2004, Breuners Home Furnishings successfully closed its store locations and now operates strictly through the internet. Today, you may shop Breuners.com with the same confidence and dedication to customer service that your parents, grandparents and even your great grandparents did.