DESIGN & DECOR
Faithful Furnishings
McKay ’ s Furniture is celebrating after 125 years of hard work , exemplary service and customer loyalty .
EDITED BY EDELINDA BAPTISTA AND TABITHA PEREIRA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WOLF MATTHEWSON
K ENNETH KIRK MCKAY SR ., BORN IN 1878 — THE SON of poor Scottish immigrant farmers in Wine Harbor , Nova Scotia — moved to Providence in 1900 to find his fortune . Six days a week , he stocked and delivered furniture for Kennedy ’ s Furniture and Appliance Store on Abbott Park Place . On his day off , he rode his bike around the city doing laundry for people at five cents a load , saving every penny , as a good Scot would . He became a salesman , then bought into a partnership with Mr . Kennedy . When the latter bought himself a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1919 , our grandfather bought him out and the business officially became McKay ’ s Furniture .
After returning from his World War II service in the Philippines , Kenneth K . McKay Jr . became a salesman at McKay ’ s where he already knew most of the customers . In the late 1930s at fifteen years old , our dad , Kenneth Kirk McKay III , rode his bike around Providence on Saturdays collecting payments from the customers — sometimes they gave him produce or baked goods instead of cash .
Grandpa McKay had always “ held the paper ” for his customers — anyone who needed to could finance their purchase through the store without paying any interest .
Grandpa McKay passed away in 1954 , and our father took over the business . In 1960 , he moved the store to 680 Elmwood Ave . in Providence .
MCKAY ’ S FURNITURE 182 Lafayette Rd ., North Kingstown , 401.295.1915
MCKAY ’ S FRONT PORCH 751 Ten Rod Rd ., North Kingstown , 401.295.3350 mckaysfurniture . com
Kerry McKay ( center ) sits alongside Garrett and Maureen McKay .
A former car dealership , the location had way more square footage , with plate-glass front windows that were great for displaying furniture suites . Unfortunately , Hurricane Carol found our dad hammering up huge slabs of plywood to save those windows , leading to more hard work and holding on .
In 1974 , our father finally realized his longtime dream of moving McKay ’ s to North Kingstown , where he and his wife raised their five kids . Shortly after the store on Lafayette Road opened , the state of Rhode Island ran a highway right over the top , effectively blocking off access to it . McKay ’ s created a series of hilarious ads to show people how to get to “ the store you can ’ t get to .”
The McKay twins came to work as teenagers , delivering furniture and learning the business to later become full-time salesmen in the late seventies . In 1996 , they bought the Masonic Temple in North Kingstown and reinvented it into McKay ’ s Front Porch . The sons dubbed it “ The Chief ’ s Retirement Home .” When dad passed away in 2003 , Keith , Kerry and Scott took over as president , vice president and CFO .
McKay ’ s Furniture , in the 125 years since our grandfather first walked in the door , has witnessed the Great Depression , a few recessions , two World Wars and many hurricanes , especially those in 1938 and 1954 . The McKay legacy , all the way back to the immigrant farmers in Nova Scotia , is one of frugality , hard work and determination . The third generation , and now members of the fourth generation , invite you to North Kingstown to become part of our 125th celebration by buying the furniture you ’ ll keep .
We would like to thank our customers for their loyalty these many years .
20 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY ’ S NEST | 2024