ABOUT US 

 

Purdys Furniture is a long established family business manufacturing Australian Made timber furniture at factory direct prices. Located in Briar Hill Victoria, around 30 minutes North of the Melbourne CBD, we not only service the local area but also extend right across Melbourne, country Victoria & Interstate.

We have an enormous standard range of Lounge, Dining, Bedroom & Occasional furniture on display and also specialize in custom-made furniture. Our furniture makers and polishers, together with great team of local tradesman such as wood carvers, upholsterers & wood turners allow us to complete your next piece from design through to delivery and best of all, at factory direct prices.

Call into the showroom to browse through our extensive range of Australian Made furniture.

 

 

 

THE TIMELINE OF PURDYS... 

In 1954, as a 14 year old boy, Peter secured a full-time apprenticeship with a local upholsterer. He took to the trade with great enthusiasm and was even bringing pram seats home to re-upholster in his bedroom of an evening. After many years of gaining valuable experience in the furniture industry around Melbourne, Peter joined up with a business partner and opened an upholstery store, 'Greensborough Upholstery'. The pair then spread their wings into a retail furniture store in Para Rd Greensborough, 'Hi Neighbour'.

 

After selling 'Hi Neighbour' to his business partner Jack Pope, Peter decided on a career change and opened a sports shoe shop in Diamond Village, Watsonia. Not too long had passed when Peter grew increasingly interested in one of the neighbouring tenants in Diamond Village, Andrew Purdy of A.M.Purdys Auctions. His job looked like so much fun. He used to buy & sell second hand furniture and hold regular Auctions on a Thursday night. Peter used to watch Andrew return from the furniture auctions with new pieces strapped to the roof of his old Renault, Peter decided this was for him.

 

In 1977, Peter went into partnership with Andrew Purdy and relocated to a larger store in Sherbourne Rd Briar Hill, the former home of the Briar Hill Timber Co.'s joinery shop. Stocking the old shop & scattered sheds full of weird and wonderful pieces from good quality second hand furniture to a great range of Edwardian & Antique furniture, Andrew & Peter enjoyed many years of buying and selling second hand furniture, their motto, famous for many years was...

'We buy Junk & sell Antiques'.

Along the way, Andrew & Peter also opened an additional retail furniture store in Main St Greensborough, Gillespie's Home Furniture, where they sold new Australian made furniture, incorporating Lounge, Dining & Bedroom furniture. Peter's second eldest son Brad joined the business at just 16 years old to help run the new store.

In 1987, Brad had left the business to peruse a plumbers apprenticeship & Andrew had now also decided on a career change so 'Gillespie's' was closed leaving Peter to run 'Purdys' on his own. Around this time, Peter's eldest son Scott joined the business and started making a beautiful range of recycled timber furniture from old Baltic Pine floor boards. The range took off and orders started flooding in for custom made recycled timber furniture. In 1992, Peters youngest son Jeremy joined the business for 2 years, helping in the store and polishing Scott's beautiful pieces. 

 


The Showroom - 25a Sherbourne Road, Briar Hill.

 


Staff Amenities


The Machinery Shop


The Workshop

 

In 1999 the time came where Peters landlord, the Briar Hill Timber Co. was closing down and the property was put up for sale. With ratty old sheds littering the block Peter knew his showroom was destined for development. The only solution to having to re-locate was buying the property. Peter and wife Jan scrapped up a deposit & bought the property. The plan was to lease out the other building on the premises, the former Briar Hill Hardware store to help pay the mortgage but as it wasn't much more than an old shed itself, no one was interested.

The family rallied together, Jeremy came back to the business and they all came up with the with the idea to move into the larger Hardware store and expand the range of recycled timber furniture and also include a range of Australian Made Lounge & Occasional Furniture.

 


The new Purdys Furniture, formerly The Briar Hill Hardware Store at 31 Sherbourne Road, Briar Hill.

 


The workshop


The workshop


The store room

The second hand furniture dwindled to only a small selection and Peters wife Jan moved into the shop full time, busily designing and painting a new range of furniture which was known as the 'The French Country Collection'. The range was an eclectic mix of French inspired furniture and homewares, hand painted for a rustic, timeless appeal. Jeremy began to run the business, his wife Natasha dividing her time between their kids and the shop and a former employee Louise was back, Scott moved into the old showroom which was now the workshop and together with team of cabinet makers, launched the new look Purdys Furniture.

The new range of rustic Australian & French inspired furniture and homewares took flight and Purdys opened a second, specialist homewares store in Maling Rd Canterbury, 'The Corner Store'. With the ever expanding range and new designs coming in every week, Purdy's soon outgrew their new, larger premises. In 2006 work began on a new, purpose build factory & showroom development. Over the next 2 years while work took place, Purdy operated from cramped conditions until 2008 when  the new showroom was officially opened.

 


Purdys Furniture - 25-31 Sherbourne Rd Briar Hill.

 


The new Workshops 


An abundance of parking 


The new showroom over 3 levels

 

Opened in September 2008 by Banyule Mayor, Wayne Phillips and Labour MP Steve Herbert, Purdys celebrated in style with a huge family day of clowns, jumping castles, face painting, music and a sausage sizzle. Hundreds of customers came through the doors to see the new store. Since the opening, Purdys have been enjoying the new larger premises with up to date manufacturing and polishing facilities, complete with a 3 story showroom. The furniture range has also expanded to include a huge range of contemporary & modern styles of Lounge, Dining, Bedroom & Occasional furniture, with an emphasis on custom made furniture.

Now, with a combined 85 years in the furniture industry, Peter & wife Jan are moving into semi retirement. Jeremy continues to run the business with wife Natasha and a great team of cabinet makers and furniture polishers. With new designs & styles constantly being launched, Purdys hopes to remain a niche, Australian furniture manufacturer for many generations to come.

 

  

On August 22nd 2014, the Teagle family was shocked by the sudden passing of the driving force behind Purdys Furniture, Peter Teagle. Affectionately known as 'Mr Purdy', Peter was a furniture maker, born & bred.
Together, Jan, Jeremy, Natasha & the boys in the workshop have vowed to continue Peter's legacy to manufacture Australian Made, "Quality, affordable furniture".


In December 2016 Jan sold the business onto Jeremy & Natasha & 2017 started with a new vision. Purdys would now modernise their range of custom made furniture and incorporate some new products such as a fantastic range of hand made jewllery & distressed leather bags from the ever so popular Kompanero. With a fresh new range of upholstery, prints, rugs & custom made cushions, Purdys has everything to furnish your home.

Jeremy, Natasha & the boys have also created a new dimension to the business now offering custom made commercial furniture. All of our fantastic hand made timber & upholstered pieces are now available in commercial quantities. Whether it be a Retirement Village, School, Hospital or even your own work place, Purdys can design & manufacture all your furniture requirements.   


March 2024 spells the end of an era...

With the Victorian Government ban on timber logging as of the 1st January 2024, we no longer have access to our beautiful, sustainable timbers such as Victorian Ash, Wormy Chestnut & Mesmate. All 3 of these timbers have been our most popular timbers to manufacture our furniture for over 30 years.

We feel that any other Australian timbers are either unsuitable or supply will be so limited that we won't be able to obtain the quality or price we require to continue to make affordable, custom timber furniture.
Although there are still imported timber options available, it doesn't sit right with us as a proud Australian manufacturer that we'd be forced to use something other than Australian materials so for that reason, we're calling it a day with our morals intact.

To the tens of thousands of customers that have visited Purdys over the years, from scouring the old second hand shop for hidden treasures to our customers visiting our new showroom and allowing us to take creative control to design & manufacture beautiful new pieces of furniture, we say thank you.