Furniture Plaza / Furniture First

Furniture Plaza was a long-time furniture retailer located on the 200 West block of Mandan’s Main Street.

The store originated in 1981 as Furniture First. Patrick Schleicher Jr. established the retailer for just $5,000.

In 2001, the store was re-branded Furniture Plaza. It then encompassed four historic buildings (built in the 1890s) and was positioned as a furniture mall, similar to Furniture Row, housing four distinct sub-stores: Classic Oak, Sleep Center, Leather Collection, and Rooms For You.

Furniture Plaza closed on January 1, 2003, citing a “personal health problem” of its owner as cause.

In 2005, the City of Mandan purchased the buildings for $289,000 as part of a decades-long diesel spill cleanup effort. The building was located near the thickest part of the contamination and deemed unsalvageable. The site is now Mandan Place Apartments.