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Art Van Furniture
Art Van Furniture Inc. was an American furniture retail store chain, with stores across the Midwestern United States. Founded in 1959, the company was headquartered in Warren, Michigan, and claimed to be the largest furniture retailer in the Midwest at its peak. In 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its stores.
Archie "Art" Van Elslander founded Art Van in 1959, opening his first store in a 4,000 square-foot space at 10 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue in East Detroit. He expanded to three stores in that same year, and a fourth store opened in 1960. His first employee was not hired until this time. Art Vans Furniture, as it was then known, opened with mostly modern and Danish-style furniture.
By 1963, Van Elslander owned seven stores and had taken on some partners, including his brother, Bob Van Elslander, Don Fox and Bob McEachin. The following year, three of those stores were sold off, however Van Elslander expanded the chain in the 1970s and in 1973 the company purchased its headquarters in Warren, Michigan. Around that time, the company had fifteen stores in its chain. In the late 1970s, the company opened several warehouses and a corporate training department. In 1977, the company opened stores outside of the Detroit area, in Flint and Lansing, Michigan.
In 1980, the company issued its first credit card, and in 1985 the company opened clearance centers attached to many of their stores, offering overstocked merchandise at a discount.
In 2009, Art Van introduced PureSleep, a brand of in-store departments and standalone stores offering mattresses. A year later in 2010, the company acquired Brewbaker's Furniture, and converted its two stores in northern Michigan into Art Van locations.
Art Van acquired Howell, Michigan-based Mattress World in 2011, converting many of that chain's locations to PureSleep stores.
Art Van expanded outside Michigan for the first time in July 2013, with a new store in Orland Park, Illinois. Later that year, the chain also entered Ohio, opening a store near Toledo in September.
The company expanded into Iowa in 2016, with franchised stores in Cedar Falls and Coralville.
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Art Van Furniture
Art Van Furniture Inc. was an American furniture retail store chain, with stores across the Midwestern United States. Founded in 1959, the company was headquartered in Warren, Michigan, and claimed to be the largest furniture retailer in the Midwest at its peak. In 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its stores.
Archie "Art" Van Elslander founded Art Van in 1959, opening his first store in a 4,000 square-foot space at 10 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue in East Detroit. He expanded to three stores in that same year, and a fourth store opened in 1960. His first employee was not hired until this time. Art Vans Furniture, as it was then known, opened with mostly modern and Danish-style furniture.
By 1963, Van Elslander owned seven stores and had taken on some partners, including his brother, Bob Van Elslander, Don Fox and Bob McEachin. The following year, three of those stores were sold off, however Van Elslander expanded the chain in the 1970s and in 1973 the company purchased its headquarters in Warren, Michigan. Around that time, the company had fifteen stores in its chain. In the late 1970s, the company opened several warehouses and a corporate training department. In 1977, the company opened stores outside of the Detroit area, in Flint and Lansing, Michigan.
In 1980, the company issued its first credit card, and in 1985 the company opened clearance centers attached to many of their stores, offering overstocked merchandise at a discount.
In 2009, Art Van introduced PureSleep, a brand of in-store departments and standalone stores offering mattresses. A year later in 2010, the company acquired Brewbaker's Furniture, and converted its two stores in northern Michigan into Art Van locations.
Art Van acquired Howell, Michigan-based Mattress World in 2011, converting many of that chain's locations to PureSleep stores.
Art Van expanded outside Michigan for the first time in July 2013, with a new store in Orland Park, Illinois. Later that year, the chain also entered Ohio, opening a store near Toledo in September.
The company expanded into Iowa in 2016, with franchised stores in Cedar Falls and Coralville.