About
Better furniture, since day one.
Forty-plus years of helping Kiwi families fill their homes with quality pieces — built to last and priced to be enjoyed.
From a Levin workshop to direct importers — same family, same purpose.
What started as a small NZ furniture manufacturer in the early ’80s has evolved with the times — but the goal hasn’t changed: bring great furniture into Kiwi homes without the chain-store markup.
Where it all started — Cambridge Street, Levin.
Bartons began life as a furniture manufacturer in the early 1980s, hand-building quality pieces from a workshop on Cambridge Street, Levin. We were one of many proud Kiwi makers turning out solid, well-built furniture for the local market.
It was a different era. Furniture was made down the road, by people you might run into at the local — and quality was something you could count on.
The world changed. So did we.
By the early ’90s, the picture had shifted. Chinese imports started arriving in volume, and the cost of manufacturing furniture in New Zealand became prohibitive. Many local makers couldn’t keep up — and a lot of fine NZ furniture brands disappeared.
Rather than fight a losing battle, we adapted. We started sourcing furniture directly from overseas manufacturers — companies whose massive scale meant they could deliver real quality at prices that worked for Kiwi families. That was the start of a new chapter.
Direct from factory — no middleman.
What sets us apart from the traditional chain stores is simple: we import directly from the factories. No distributors, no wholesalers, no extra layers adding their cut to your price tag.
That’s not just a cost advantage — it’s a freedom advantage. We can pick and choose what we bring in, find ranges that aren’t on every showroom floor in the country, and pass the savings on rather than padding margins.
Our showroom on Oxford Street is the result. Forty-plus years on, still proudly run by the same family, still pointed at the same goal: better furniture, fairly priced.
Three things you won’t get at a chain store.
This isn’t marketing speak. It’s the actual difference between buying from us and buying from a national franchise.
Direct from factory
We cut out the middlemen. The same piece in our showroom would cost more elsewhere because it’s passed through a distributor, then a wholesaler, then a retailer. Not here.
Different finds
Walk into ten chain stores and you’ll see the same ten ranges. We deliberately bring in pieces you won’t find on every showroom floor. If you want something a bit different, you’re in the right place.
Family-run, locally
You’re dealing with the same family that’s been here since the start — not a head office five hours away. Decisions get made on the spot. Problems get sorted by people who actually care.
We import from the world’s largest American furniture manufacturer.
That means our lounges, beds and recliners are built to American standards — which is to say, generously sized, plushly upholstered, and properly comfortable. American furniture is engineered for everyday family use, not just to look good on a showroom floor.
If you’ve ever sat on a sofa in a chain store and thought “this is nice but it’s a bit narrow / firm / shallow” — there’s a reason. American manufacturers build to a different brief, and that’s the brief we like. Sit on one in our showroom and you’ll feel the difference.
The Bartons archive.
Old photos from the workshop days, the showroom over the years, and the team behind it all. We’ll be adding more here over time.
The best way to know us — is to visit us.
Our Oxford Street showroom is open six days a week. Come down for a wander, sit on the sofas, ask questions, take your time. No pushy sales, no pressure. That’s not how we do it.