Once upon a time, back in the last century, nearly every city and town had their own Maytag dealer.  These stores would be owned by a local businessman, and would specialize in both the servicing and sales of an American-owned (Newton, Iowa) brand with a strong reputation for product quality and longevity.

Remember the lonely Maytag repairman?

Of course, times have changed.  

Like so many other industries, the advent of larger "superstores" and national chains changed shopper's habits.  More brands and a larger variety of products were introduced, and consumers would gravitate to stores that offered more choice.  Maytag itself changed.  Pressure from foreign companies invading the US market contributed to a loss in market share. One by one, the local Maytag stores disappeared.  Eventually Maytag was sold to Whirlpool Corp. out of Michigan in 2006.   Today Maytag is simply one of many "badges" under the Whirlpool umbrella.

One of the last surviving local Maytag dealers was Mike's Maytag in Pittsfield, MA.  Mike became owner of this business back in 1980, and survived all the many changes in consumer preferences.  In an article with the Berkshire Eagle back in 2023 (link below), he summed up his view on the changing retail landscape:

“Back in the day there were like 500 Maytag home appliance centers. Now I think there’s about five in the United States,” Mike said (the Spelmans’ store in Pittsfield is one of the remaining few). “They closed because of the big box stores. Of course you didn’t have them back in the day.”

Here's the link to the full article.  As you can see, Mike enjoyed a strong reputation in his hometown:

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/business/mike-spelman-remains-in-the-appliance-business-50-yeara-after-he-started-maytag-appliance-repairs-pittsfield-mass/article_25ed4452-048f-11ee-94b1-1f6c21ebe7cb.html

But alas, all good things come to an end. 

Earlier this year Mike, now in his mid seventies, decided it was time to retire.  He reached out to us, and as of April 1 Mike's Maytag is now the twelth Manny's Appliances.

So what can our Pittsfield area customers expect from us?  

Personally, I think that's an excellent question! It's also a very fair question.  After all, even though Manny's has been around for almost 50 years, we've never had a store in the Pittsfield area.  Also, we've already come to realize how loyal Mike's customers were to him; we respect and appreciate that!

To answer the "what can you expect from us" question, I reached out to Joe Danner, our Pittsfield store manager.  This is what Joe had to say:

"The biggest concern of Mike’s customers is that we will not help with their service issues. I respond that we have a dedicated service dept with techs in this area. Also, Mike sold replacement parts. Many customers have come in looking for belts, gaskets and other parts that we no longer carry at the store level. They are surprised that we have a parts dept to help them. 

In addition to service, I explain that we carry many more manufacturers than Mike’s did. We are more than just Maytag! 

Thirdly, we have much better pricing than Mike!"

Well said!

I'd also like to point out that this not the first time Manny's has acquired an existing business from a local business person who decided it was time to retire (for a variety of reasons).  I think you'll find we are dedicated to delivering a satisfying experience for our customers, both new and existing! 

• We offer a large variety of brands that fit every taste and budget.  
• We offer an aggressive price.  
• We can usually deliver in a timely manner.  
• We stand behind our products with our own service team and techs.  
• Finally, (and I like to point this benefit out especially!) we offer many decades of experience in the appliance business.  We're specialists.  If you run into an unusual situation, chances are we've dealt with a similar scenario before and can offer our expertise.

We're excited to be in Pittsfield, and we look forward to servicing the Pittsfield area for many years to come!

So please, check out our showroom and our website.  Ask our sales and service professionals for advice or assistance.  

***Addresses and phone numbers for all twelve showrooms can be found on the front page of our website, (just to the left to the link for the blog you just presumably clicked on).

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