Bakersfield, Calif. – Urner’s, the independent appliance,
CE and furniture dealer based here, will celebrate its 90th
anniversary with a charity giveaway next month.
The company – whose complete name is Urner’s Appliance Center,
Big Screen
City, Sofa’s Etc. and Z’s Please Sleep
Center – will mark the
milestone by providing mattresses and TVs to the local rescue mission valued at
well in excess of $110,000.
Principals from Mitsubishi and Tempur-Pedic will join Bakersfield mayor Harvey
Hall on Oct. 9 as Urner’s delivery teams replace every mattress in the
shelter’s dormitories and install two 60-inch TVs, donated by the manufacturer,
inside the dining commons.
According to the dealer, president David Urner and VP Steve Illingworth
– son and grandson, respectively, of co-founder David E. Urner – determined
that the best way to celebrate the anniversary was to follow the company
tradition of giving back to the community. Other local recipients of Urner’s
largesse over the years have included the CSUB Foundation, the Bakersfield
Symphony, Ronald McDonald House of Bakersfield, Memorial Hospital House of
Hope, and Teen Challenge.
Urner’s opened in September 1919 as Home Appliance Co. during an
era when “modern appliances” were sold primarily through hardware and lighting
stores. The concept of a specialty appliance store was the brainchild of Urner
– who began his retail career selling cookware off the back of his bike – and
fellow high school teacher Errol P. Janes.
Today, the retailer serves the Bakersfield community from a
50,000-square-foot storefront, warehouse and office facility with a merchandise
mix comprised of 51 percent white goods, 29 percent electronics and 20 percent
furniture and mattresses.
A member of the Brand Source buying group, Urner’s regularly
ranks on the TWICE Top 100 Major Appliance Retailers Report, and is a 13-time
winner of The Bakersfield Californian’s annual Best Of Readers’ Choice Poll.