Not sure what it is about family-owned furniture stores in Menlo Park; there have been a number over the years. Since 2003, this has included Leather Leather Furniture Gallery on El Camino, owned and operated by Willows residents Tricia and Sean Mulcahy. [Note: Yes, there are two leathers; Sean knew a company in Texas that went by Leather Leather and he decided long ago that he liked the name.]
For Sean, who comes from a combined family of 16 (10 of whom his mother gave birth to), furniture was a business that he sort of fell into after playing soccer at DeAnza, a sport that he’d excelled in throughout his youth, enough so that he was named to the state soccer team.
“I’ve been in the business now for over 30 years,” he said, seated among the couches, chairs and bar stools of their well-stocked store. “You could say I have a masters in furniture!”
While Tricia focuses on design, choosing models and fabrics, Sean concentrates on customer service. “We really want to educate people about the different leathers and how they wear,” he explained
The Mulcahys not only sell new furniture, they do repairs and transform fabric furniture to leather and visa versa. They also take custom orders.
They balance business and family life — they are the parents of three children, all who attend Menlo Park schools — by alternating days at the store. When their children were small, they had a playroom in the back, and as they get older, they hope they’ll have an interest in working at the store.
Even after this all these years being in the furniture business, Sean continues to find great satisfaction. “I make people smile,” he said. “This is a happy purchase.”
Photo by Irene Searles (c) 2019
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