About Us

Who We Are

A local, family-owned furniture store serving the Western New York community.

What to Expect

Our team’s goal is to provide a great experience. At Lake Effect, we never play with our pricing so you can expect sale-price and below every day. We want to understand your needs and your budget to help complete your home because we value a customer for life over a sale today.

Our Story

The Lake Effect Furniture and Mattress story began in 2011. We started with hundreds of handwritten signs, postings on Craigslist, and pull-tabs at local colleges. Within a month of opening our first location in Bowmansville we moved from a 3,000 square foot warehouse space that had been converted into a showroom to 8,000 square feet. After years of giving customers a great experience and growing by word of mouth we were able to transition into our current location on Union Road. We value a positive atmosphere and attribute our success to the support of our Western New York community.

Meet the Owner

Chris Schunk got his start with an engineering degree, an MBA, and 15 years in the automotive industry. After being laid off during the recession of 2008 and again in 2009, he decided to change careers. His experience in the manufacturing industry helped him understand where to eliminate waste. By applying that experience to a locally-owned furniture store, he is able to offer high-quality items at the lowest price. Chris is involved in the furniture industry and sits on the Nationwide Marketing Group advisory board for furniture and bedding.

Chris was born and raised in Western New York and is married with two children. He is community-oriented, was a volunteer hockey coach for 13 years, and served as a volunteer fireman for 8 years.

How he likes his wings: hot with celery and bleu cheese