CLIFTON PARK — The four-generation business, Marcella’s Appliance Center, are celebrating 65 years and looking forward to the next ten years and beyond.
Marcella’s was started in Schenectady by John L. Marcella. Today, John D. Marcella runs the company and still stops into the Schenectady store daily at 90-years-old. Marcella’s is an appliance store where customers can buy a new dishwasher, washing machine, or completely remodel their kitchen. Regardless of what a customer needs, Marcella’s is trying to keep the ways of John D.
“[John D.] really treated the customers like friends and family and we try to continue that,” VP & Store Manager, John R. Marcella said. “Whether it’s a $700 dishwasher or a $50,000 kitchen he always cared about every sale and every customer.”
In 2016, Marcella’s expanded to Clifton Park, a no-brainer, John R. said, to accommodate the growth in Clifton Park and Saratoga County. The business has 25,000 square feet in Schenectady and has recently expanded their showroom in Clifton Park. A major motivation for the expansion was to show more sets of kitchens to better show possibilities of remodels. Marcella’s is also building a new fulfillment hub to expand into more distribution and warehousing.
Like many businesses within the last two years, Marcella’s faced a lot of challenges. However, there were some positives to come from the pandemic. Since many people were confined to their homes, many started to take on home improvement projects that had been pushed aside previously.
“That lifestyle is going to continue even after we come out of all of this. People have come accustomed to spending more time at home,” John R. Marcella said.
In 65 years, one major moment stands out for John R. During the 2008 recession, Marcella’s was in the middle of finalizing the showroom at 560 Broadway in Schenectady. Most people wouldn’t have continued that process during such a hard financial time. However, John D. decided to move on with that location otherwise Marcella’s would have outgrown the original location.
For Marcella’s the recession taught the business a lot and prepared them for the coronavirus pandemic. The business knows not to take anything for granted and has found that treating people right will get you through anything. John D. has also proved to be another saving grace for Marcella’s.
“He’s been through all of the major life things [the depression, World War II, Korea and more], he’s absolutely conditioned to get through anything,” John R. said.
In the past few years Marcella’s has captured a lot of local awards ranging from The Daily Gazette to The Saratogian to Capital Region Living. The company believes that these awards are a testament to how customers feel and appreciate the full-service Marcella’s offers. The top-tier treatment doesn’t stop after the sale but continues with the servicing of the appliance and the installation.
Over the next ten years, Marcella’s hopes to continue to experience success. The expansions across the business show that hope. The bottom line for the company being every customer is treated as a friend or family member.
