Major Detroit area

[vacerator]

furniture store closing every location. Art Van furniture, recently purchased by a venture capital firm annouced ysterday it is bankrupt and liquidating all stores, and warehouse. Founded in 1959 by Art Vanouslander, the chain grew to 195 stores in 5 states. The main office and warehouse is two miles from here. 240 people there alone will lose their jobs in May. The Vanouslander foundation has been a huge chatitable benefactor for several local charities including food banks, and a hospital annex for cancer and childrens diseases.
That leaves two local affordable firniture stores. Gardner White, and Value City.
High end stores here are Gormans, and Ethan Allen. Thomasville has closed all their exclusive showroom stores. Lazy Boy still has them.
There are a few small family owned stores.

 

[jmm63]

I saw that news and was sad to read it. Even though I'm in NJ, still have several nice items from Art Van that have moved with me through the years. Really cool oak dining table with gear driven top that opens both side equally to put the leaf in with Windsor chairs and my bedroom set are from Art Van.
Out here we have Ashley (moderate junk) Bobs (really junk) and Raymour and Flannigan, the same as Art Van.
Hudsons used to have a really nice furniture department. Remember wondering through there many times.
Macy's has some nice furniture stores here, lots of my current furniture comes from them, have been very happy with everything so far.

 

[jamiel]

The plot thickens, as the Art Van HQ was overtaken by people with layaway/orders yesterday....Warren MI police had to close it off early. We went to one of their Pure Sleep stores yesterday afternoon--you'd never know anything was up (though the single salesperson did say that Monday would be the changes/markdowns. BTW--is there any type of shopping more soul-sucking than buying a mattress....I see why the internet ordering thang is so predominant.

 

[vacerator]

Jim, Jamie,

yes, I have several Art Van items as well. My 1986 Thomasville "American Country" mainly solid oak transitional bedroom suite that I saw at Home-a-Rama and had to get it. Triple dresser, tri-mirror, Armoire, and headboard. Bassset solid oak transitional coffee and end tables, and our later oak, but Chinese made Steve Yzerman "Red Wings" (former team captain) dining room set. Thats when I relized the quality slipping. daughters brass bed, and the last piece we got is a made in Viet Nam urban contemporary display cabinet. It's not bad for the price.
We've had at least 4 matress sets from there as well. Two Stearns and Foster, and a Dormia hybrid. Although my firts Stearns and Foster came from Hudsons back in 1986. We recently got rolled up in a box comfort foam tempurpedic types for the grand kids bunk beds from Brazil, because Art Van prices were out of sight.

 

[petek]

THeir Port Huron store closed a few a years ago. Who'da thunk 20 years ago that furniture would end up being mostly made in China. For one thing it's large and bulky etc. The furniture stores that so far are surviving are the "you don't pay till 2015" stores.. Our local higher end furniture store Breyentons closed a year or two ago but even they were selling made in China furniture and passing it off as high quality, it wasn't, if you looked closely. One time I was in there with mon, I asked a sales lady where a fancy french prov style curio cabinet was made (I already knew) and she told us it was foreign sourced. LOL. Most of the furniture in our Sears (before it closed) was made in China. Even Lazyboy is having their furniture made in China I believe.

 

[goatfarmer]

The local Art Van is a franchise store, so it's not going out of business. Owner will probably rename it, and keep going.