It is hard to find a furniture company in the country for which all three years of war were successful. However, as the domestic market gradually recovers and international export ties are re-established, each following year has been steadily improving the state of the furniture industry. The past year not only somewhat stabilized the economic situation, but also gave many furniture businesses the opportunity to grow.

The Lviv-based company MAB Studio has every reason to consider the opening of its branded showroom in the city as a clear sign of progress. According to co-owner Olha Mahurchak, this was an important step in further strengthening the company’s market position. The office at the factory could no longer properly serve the function of a demonstration and retail space.

Olha also told us that the company had to shut down its serial production line — already during martial law — as it became a hindrance to further development. The market showed that mass-produced furniture was not a competitive advantage for them. Moreover, two market crises — first the pandemic and then the war — coincided with their entry into retail chains, many of which shut down, reducing sales to a minimum.

Should this move be seen as a setback? Not at all! Focusing solely on custom-made orders for private residences and HoReCa projects has already proven to be the right decision. The company is now carrying out such orders project by project. In fact, one of them — the furnishing of an Italian-style pizzeria in Lviv — was recently featured in our news digest. And the intention to form an additional installation team is further evidence that the company sees strong potential for growing its custom furniture production. The showroom opening is also meant to support this direction.

– Opening a showroom is not a cheap venture, especially during wartime. Did you use your own funds, or did you take a loan?

– Neither. We brought in an investor who became our partner and the manager of the showroom. Until then, the company was a family business. It was founded by my husband Andriy, which is reflected in the name: MAB is an abbreviation formed from the first letters of his surname, first name, and patronymic.

– You furnish HoReCa facilities comprehensively — which are mostly food establishments — do you create the design projects yourselves or work with ones provided by the client?

– Most often, we are approached by interior designers who are hired by the client and act as intermediaries between us, the manufacturers, and the client as the end user. However, we also have our own in-house designer who can take on the project if the client doesn’t have a ready one.

– Is your company fully self-sufficient in completing such orders, or do you need to bring in subcontractors?

– We do bring in partners, as our company mainly specializes in woodworking. If a project requires items made of metal or glass, we collaborate with specialized contractors. Together with them, we are able to bring exciting projects to life.

– Even furniture companies that considered last year generally successful admit to having staffing challenges.

– That’s true. We had the same issue. Some of our employees were drafted into the army, and without them, it was hard to manage the production volume we had reached. We had to urgently look for replacements. We needed people with military exemptions to avoid constant turnover — and that made the search even more complicated.

On that note, I’d mention that we actively searched for workers in eastern Ukraine — placing top-ranking ads on job sites and offering accommodation — but this idea, which seemed promising, unfortunately did not bring the expected results. In the end, we were saved by local workers, and we managed to find more or less qualified personnel.

– What step are you planning to take this year? Even if not for further development, then to strengthen your current position?

– As I’ve already mentioned, we plan to create another installation team. This will allow us to increase production, take on new projects with more confidence, showcase our production capabilities and the high qualifications of our team, and continue to grow!

– Wishing you great success in achieving your goals!