GREENFIELD — The Home Furnishing Co. has been a staple on Main Street for 96 years, surviving the Great Depression, Great Recession and several other economic events in between.
The key to success? Working with family, according to co-owner Marcia Abrahamson, who has run the business with her husband Stan for decades.
Now the couple is ready to pass the torch to their children, and plan to retire at the ages of 86 and 90, respectively.
“Age is creeping up on us,” Stan Abrahamson said. “It’s time to slow down and let the younger generation take over.”
His father and uncle started the business in 1919 and Stan Abrahamson took over in 1950, after serving in the Air Corps for three years. He met Marcia, a North Adams native, on a blind date during his junior year of college. She joined the company in 1975.
During their time at the business, the couple thoroughly remodeled the interior of the building, added a second floor and expanded their product selection. Although they’re retiring, the store isn’t going anywhere. Their children, Jeff Abrahamson and Debi Roberts, joined the company in the 1980s and will take over the business along with Debi’s husband, John.
“They’ve always been at the helm and guided us and taught us to be as caring as we can to customers and always have the family personal flair,” Debi Roberts said.
“What’s kept us here the longest is working with our family,” Marcia Abrahamson added.
Jeff Abrahamson said he plans to expand the store’s mattress department and selection of La-Z-Boy sofas, and instead of making deliveries, he and his brother-in-law are hiring two new drivers and will work with customers in-store themselves.
“I’m looking forward to it. I love talking to people when they come in,” he said. I’ve been born and bred in Greenfield and I live in Deerfield now, so I know a lot of people in Franklin County and I’m looking forward to taking the reigns.”
In their retirement, Stan and Marcia Abrahamson plan visit their grandson in Florida and vacation on Cape Cod. But Stan Abrahamson said he’ll miss being in the business. The couple recalled inviting people into the store to watch parades go down Main Street, as well as the challenges of running a company, including flooding, a fire and one particularly memorable experience when Stan Abrahamson and his father slid down an icy hill in the truck while making a delivery in Charlemont and had to be towed out by a farmer.
But for the Abrahamsons, it’s all been worth it.
“I love my business, in fact I don’t want to get out of here,” said the elder Mr. Abrahamson. “I like waiting on people and talking to them, but I really love the smell of the fabrics and the plastics and we always carried the best quality, so I knew when I sold something, I wouldn’t have any problems.”
You can reach Aviva Luttrell at:
aluttrell@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 268
On Twitter: @AvivaLuttrell