Jessica Elliot

The Pilgrim Furniture City story begins in 1961. That’s the year Jay Albert opened Pilgrim Colonial Furniture in Bristol, Connecticut. Offering quality furniture at a reasonable price, Jay’s business was an immediate success. As the business grew, Jay’s son, Mike Albert worked at the store on weekends. After graduating from college, Mike joined the company full time in the late 1970s, eventually becoming president when Jay retired in 1984. Throughout the 80s and 90s Pilgrim continued to grow adding more product lines to meet the demands of its customers. An old Levitz store became available in nearby Southington, Connecticut. And so did Steve Bichunsky. Steve, a third generation retailer, learned the business from his father, Herb, owner of Meriden Auction Rooms. Steve’s sales and marketing experience was exactly what Mike was looking for in a partner. Together, Mike and Steve renovated the old Levitz store, and opened the all-new Pilgrim Furniture City in 2001. By moving their business to Southington, they went from a classic 30,000 square foot showroom to a magnificent 90,000 square foot showplace. With the opening of their Milford, Connecticut store, Mike and Steve were joined by a new managing partner, David Bassett. David brings 19 years of industry experience with Lane Home Furnishings, as well as his experience from his family’s furniture business, Scott Wayside, previously located outside of Boston. Pilgrim Furniture City now has four superstore locations totaling more than 280,000 square feet of floor space. In keeping with the business principles set down by Jay Albert back in 1961, Mike, Steve, and David are committed to quality merchandise, reasonable prices, and exceptional customer service. From the sales associates on the floor to the delivery team that arrives at your door, Mike, Steve, David and their 125 employees have that “whatever-it-takes” attitude that will make you a customer for life.