MAR 6, 2020 | RICK SHRUM | For The Intelligencer
CLAIRSVILLE – One hundred years later, Levin Furniture is back in the family.
Robert Levin, grandson of the founders and former owner/president of the company, walked away from retirement this week to purchase the firm — and possibly save the jobs of its 1,200 employees.
He reached an agreement late Wednesday to reacquire the business from Art Van, which bought the chain from the Levin family in November 2017.
The parent of Warren, Mich.-based Art Van is considering options that include filing for bankruptcy, according to a report in Crain’s Detroit Business. Levin’s deal also included acquiring the Wolf Furniture chain, which Art Van purchased along with Levin in late 2017.
Levin announced the deal Thursday morning at a store in Monroeville, Pa. The company has 39 locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, including one at Ohio Valley Mall near St. Clairsville.
Altoona-based Wolf Furniture has 17 locations: nine in central and southeastern Pennsylvania; seven in Maryland; and one in Virginia.
Levin is pleased to be in the president’s chair again.
“I’m coming back as the owner of Levin Furniture for the employees who were at risk of losing their jobs,” he said in a prepared statement. “They are the most loyal, dedicated, and hardworking people I’ve ever known.
“It will be a privilege and honor to once again lead this company as we prepare to celebrate 100 years in the furniture and mattress business,” said Levin, who has led the family-owned operation since 1993.
The company will celebrate its 100th birthday later this year
The competition was stiff but after careful consideration the winner of the Small Shop Showdown at Millcreek Mall is Farmulated CBD owned by Mark Troyer of Waterford, Pennsylvania. He competed with a variety of other local entrepreneurs who described their business concepts to a panel of real estate leasing experts. As the winner, Troyer will receive six months of FREE rent inside Millcreek Mall, May 1 – October 31, 2020. The new store will occupy a 660 square foot space located on the mall’s Center Court. In addition to the free use of store space, Troyer will receive a package of marketing assistance to help get the business off the ground, on-mall signage, a news release, digital signage and advertising on social media.