After 41 years of business in Manhattan, Furniture Warehouse plans to close for good.
Steve Williams, the second-generation owner of the store located at 2326 Skyvue Lane, said shuttering his business was part of a long-term strategy for eventual retirement.
“My wife and I have been working on a 10-year plan; it just so happens it’s taken us 12 years to implement this plan,” Williams said. “But after 41 years, we wanted to enjoy traveling and seeing what’s outside of Manhattan.”
The furniture store began its effort to sell off remaining inventory June 6. Williams, who started the business with his father in 1983, said the “quitting business sale” will last approximately 90 days.
“The length of the sale largely depends upon how quickly we can dispose of well over $1 million of retail inventory,” Williams said.
The store will have modified hours during that time. Williams said Furniture Warehouse will be open Thursday through Monday, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays reserved for moving stock from the warehouse to the showroom.
Speaking on the first day of the everything-must-go sale, Williams reflected on the end of his business and expressed his thanks to the community.
“It’s been enormously humbling today, especially as I’ve seen so many old friends and old customers come in giving me well wishes,” he said. “You know, I am going to miss being in the retail business. On the other hand, I get to explore what I’ve been missing all of these years while being in business and devoting largely all of my time to the business.”
Once Furniture Warehouse closes, Williams and his wife plan to travel everywhere they can.
“You hear about all these places, and you go, ‘All right, put that in your bucket list of places you want to go see,’” Williams said. “So, we want to get an RV, and we just want to go to all these places people have been talking about.”