Art Van closing stores but Hutson's to remain open

Art Van Furniture announced Thursday plans to close all of its company-owned stores. Hutson’s/Art Van Furniture in downtown Cape Girardeau, however, will remain open.

“We are the only co-branded Art Van store in the country,” Hutson’s co-owner Chris Hutson said Thursday shortly after receiving word Art Van is going out of business.

As a co-branded store, Hutson said the Cape Girardeau location will be able to dissolve its Art Van affiliation and will remain open.

“We don’t know exactly what we’ll be, but we’ll be something,” Hutson said.

“We’ve been reaching out to our vendors to make sure we can get all of our ‘sold’ order and keep our customers satisfied,” he said. “We’re fortunate because our business has been here since 1945 and our vendors are still appreciative of us and are working with us.”

It is likely, Hutson said, the store at 43 S. Main St. will once again be known as “Hutson’s Fine Furniture” once Art Van ceases operations.

“We’ll be coming back full circle,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have that option.”

Hutson’s became co-branded with Art Van Furniture in June 2018.

Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, Art Van has 141 locations, including the Cape Girardeau furniture showroom. The company has four other Missouri locations, all in the St. Louis area. In addition to Missouri, Art Van has stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio.

The company, which is also known as AVF Holdings, was founded in 1959 by Art Van Elslander and operates under the brands Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors. Liquidation sales will start today at all of the company-owned stores, but will not affect the Cape Girardeau location.

“We will not be participating in the liquidation,” Hutson said. “For us, it will be business as usual.”

Art Van Furniture spokeswoman Diane Charles blamed “challenging” economic conditions for the company’s decision to close.

“Despite our best efforts to remain open, the company’s brands and operating performance have been hit hard by a challenging retail environment,” she said in a news release. “We recognize the extraordinary retail, community and philanthropic legacies that Art Van Furniture has built for decades. On behalf of the company, we want to offer our sincere appreciation to our employees for their dedication, commitment and hard work.”

According to published reports, the company-owned stores will close by the end of May.

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