Art Van Furniture closing all stores, including one in Columbus
WARREN, Mich. (WCMH) — Art Van Furniture announced Thursday that it will close all stores, including one locally.
The company announced the decision to close Thursday. It said it would start liquidation sales Friday at all its Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
The company has 3,100 employees.
The Polaris Art Van location opened less than a year ago, with a high-profile grand opening attended by Cindy Crawford and famed photographer Nigel Barker.
The Company operates under the brands Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors.
Art Van-owned Eight Wolf Furniture Stores in Maryland and Virginia will also close. Levin & Wolf Furniture in Ohio and Pennsylvania will be sold.
“Despite our best efforts to remain open, the Company’s brands and operating performance have been hit hard by a challenging retail environment,” said Diane Charles, Art Van Furniture spokesperson. “We recognize the extraordinary retail, community and philanthropic legacies that Art Van Furniture has built for decades in the community.”
The company was started by Art Van Elslander in metro Detroit in 1959. It was sold to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, in 2017. Crain’s Detroit Business news reported in mid-February that it was considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization or liquidation.