Mazer

Mazer Discount Home Center is a furniture, appliance and home remodeling showroom located in a former K-Mart on Green Springs Highway in Homewood. The business is owned by Michael Mazer, grandson of the founder.

History

1949 newspaper ad for Mazer Lumber & Supply

Mazer Lumber and Supply was founded at 1300 8th Avenue North in 1932 when Ben Mazer, trying to support his family during the Great Depression, started selling materials salvaged from wrecked buildings. As the business expanded, new building supplies, bath and kitchen items, flooring, and appliances were added to the store's inventory. In 1959, the business moved to 41st Street South in Avondale. There, the focus gradually changed from contractors to consumers. In 1965, Ben Mazer's son, J.B. Mazer, became president of the company.

In 1995, a second location opened in the former K-mart location on Green Springs Highway in Homewood. Originally a furniture store, this location expanded over time, both in size and the types of merchandise. In 2005, Michael Mazer became president of the company. That year, the company also took over and renovated 30,000 square feet of the existing shopping center for use by its appliance and kitchen divisions. In 2007, construction began on a 60,000 square foot expansion, with half the space planned for use as retail space and the other half for warehousing.

In 2009, Michael Mazer announced that the location in Avondale, which focused on building supplies, would close in March. Due to the deteriorating housing market, the company would be leaving that business to focus on furniture, appliances, flooring, and kitchen and bath accessories.

References

• Mazer History. Accessed January 19, 2009.
• Cooper, Lauren B. (February 16, 2007). "Mazer adding 60K square feet in Homewood." Birmingham Business Journal.
• Thornton, William (January 19, 2009). "Mazer to close downtown Birmingham location." Birmingham News.

External links

• Mazer Discount Home Centers website