Francis Furniture is a fourth-generation family business dating back to 1935, and they pride themselves on providing friendly customer service and high-quality products to local communities. They also value the personal relationships they’ve established over the years, including their partnership with Minster Bank.
Learn more about how Minster Bank has played a role in the success of the Francis Furniture locations in Celina and Bellefontaine, owned by John and Tara Adams.
Exploring the History of Francis Furniture
Tara shares that her grandfather, Glen Francis, started the family furniture business, and her father, Ron Francis, carried on the legacy with a new store in Celina in 1960. She and her husband, John, now own the Celina and Bellefontaine showrooms and Furniture Express in Sidney.
Tara handles all the accounting, payroll, and bookkeeping tasks, while John works with vendors and oversees advertising. John and Tara’s son, Alex, is the manager of the Bellefontaine location, and their son, Andrew, manages the Celina location. Additionally, their daughter, Lisa, is designing a new website for the business.
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Connecting With Minster Bank in the Late 1980s
When Tara and John moved back to the area nearly 35 years ago from San Diego following John’s service in the Navy, they were looking for a local bank to help meet their financial needs. They made an immediate connection with Minster Bank and appreciated the personal relationships that developed between them.
“Minster Bank helped us set up our personal checking and savings accounts and later assisted us with our business banking needs,” said Tara. “Everyone at the bank is friendly and helpful — and they know us.”
Minster Bank continued to be a local bank Tara and John could count on for their family’s banking needs — including setting up accounts and debit cards for their children — and business banking assistance. When financial needs came up with their family business, they turned to Minster Bank for help without hesitation.
Using Minster Bank’s Business Services to Grow Their Business
Minster Bank has been an invaluable resource for Tara and John as they carry on their family legacy at Francis Furniture. The local bank helped with business loans and provided other financial support when the new Bellefontaine location opened in 2016, and again when the original Celina showroom relocated to a beautiful new store with over 300,000 square feet in 2019.
“The new Celina showroom was built in an area near other stores and shops for convenience, and it was a great way to better serve our customers,” said Tara. “Rhonda, Dan and others from Minster Bank were there to help us every step of the way.”
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Going the Extra Mile to Help
Tara and John appreciate many things about their relationship with Minster Bank, and they’ve used various products and services from them over the years.
“We appreciate that when we call the bank, a real person answers the phone,” said Tara. “We also love that they’re involved with the community. Minster Bank supports school fundraisers, teaches financial literacy to youth and awards scholarships to graduating area high school seniors.”
Tara and John are grateful to Rhonda for assisting them with mortgages and refinancing — and to Dan for going the extra mile to navigate the PPP forgiveness program with them.
“They’re just always ready to go the extra mile for you,” said Tara. “We know they work late to get the job done, and we trust them to keep our finances and data secure.”
Tara has found Minster Bank’s online bill pay particularly helpful in her day-to-day tasks for Francis Furniture. She is also grateful to know she can call the bank when she has a question or needs help.
“We recommend Minster Bank to anyone,” said Tara. “They will work hard to build a personal relationship of trust with you, and they’re so accommodating.”
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