SAN MARCOS — It’s the end of an era, and for Jeff and Cindy McGee it’s bittersweet. Their business Aspire Furniture, a staple of North County for more than 20 years, is closing its doors next month.
The sweet part for the McGees is that they have finally decided to move their lives entirely to Kauai. This means they have family, friends and a Kauai-based Aspire Furniture location all in one section of paradise.
The bitter part is saying goodbye to a place that they have loved and been a part of since the late 1980s. Aspire Furniture initially began as a furniture manufacturer, but since the 1990s they have been serving San Diego as a retailer and have provided quality products and service throughout the years.
So why the move to Kauai? “In 2010 Cindy and I moved to Kauai to open up our current retail store and reunite with family,” Jeff said. The couple had done a lot of traveling through the Hawaiian islands and fell completely in love with the area. Their children and grandchildren are also there. “It was the height of the recession, and we decided to make this move and it has been a very positive one. The Hawaiian market has come back a little faster than most areas.”
But Jeff doesn’t want his customers to get the wrong idea. The move was not about surviving, it was simply about … well, simplifying.
“We are closing down the San Marcos store to simplify our lives,” Jeff said. “It was a personal decision. It was the right time to leave. Our lease was expiring, and we had the opportunity to focus all of our energy on our Hawaiian store.” But the decision was not one the McGees made lightly. “It was such an emotional decision for us to close down,” he said. “We have incredible clients and I will truly miss our dear friend and showroom manager Shannon Mercado.”
Jeff takes comfort in knowing that Shannon, too, will be moving on to an exciting new chapter with her new consulting business Lilly Mack Designs.
She will continue to work with local clients as she has for the past 10 years in addition to new clients.
Aspire has undergone a major change in the last few months as they switched from a Tuscan/Mediterranean look to a Coastal one.
The McGees found it hard to walk away from the San Marcos store just as their new line was starting to take off, but there is a silver lining for North County residents. Aspire is currently offering all of its Tuscan inventory at deep discounts. But Jeff is quick to point out that this is not a typical “going-out-of-business” sale.
While the sale will take place in phases (details at end of this article), Jeff doesn’t want customers to wait until the end to get the best deals.
“You don’t want to wait until the last week,” Jeff said. “I encourage you to come in quickly since we have limited stock available in each category. If you’ve been on the fence about buying some incredible Tuscan and Coastal pieces, this is the time to do it,” he added.
“It’s a very exciting time in our lives,” Jeff said. “We’ve put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into our San Marcos location over the last 20-plus years. Now it’s time to focus on enjoying our family and making our lives easier. We are exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
The McGees will miss plenty about San Marcos, but they are proud of the work they have done and the relationships they have established over the years. “We have so many friends, family and wonderful clients,” Jeff said. “I will miss interacting with all of these wonderful people.”
Aspire’s closing sale will take place in three phases, but Tuscan samples will immediately be priced at 40 to 70 percent off. The first phase will take place through June 25, and will feature 20 percent off all samples in their Coastal collection. The second phase will run June 26 to July 2 and will have a 30 percent discount on all samples in the Coastal collection. The final sale will run July 3 to July 12, where 40 percent will be taken off any remaining Coastal sample pieces. On July 13, all the remaining inventory will be shipped to Kauai.
“All of our special orders in house will be filled prior to us closing,” Jeff said. “We won’t be taking any new orders unless they can ship prior to our July 16 closing.”
Aspire Furniture is located at 1040 Los Vallecitos Blvd. #103 in San Marcos. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through June 25. Beginning June 26 they will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, call (760) 744-2662.
