Roomful Express Furniture
Encyclopedia
Roomful Express Furniture was a Pittsburgh-area furniture retailer. The company was founded in 1958 by Robert Kuhn as Freight Liquidators for the original purpose of importing Italian furniture and then reselling it to independent dealers. The company evolved from a third-party distributor that was centrally based in a warehouse on Pittsburgh's North Side into a "big box" furniture store by purchasing stock from one of its primary customers, Gimbels Department Store
. The first stand-alone store was opened in 1973. The company now has annual sales of around $78 million and employs 350.
In 2000, the company adopted the Roomful Express name after flat sales were blamed on its Freight Liquidators name, which the owners felt did not accurately reflect the business of the corporation. After the name change, the company promoted itself on the concept of buyers being able to choose a theme for a room by selecting from the store's sold-by-the-piece items. The company's main offices are in the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, Pennsylvania
. Nine stores are located in Western Pennsylvania
, plus one in St. Clairsville, Ohio
. Along with national big box chains, the company's main local competitor is Levin Furniture
.
On December 8, 2010 Roomful Express announced its going-out-of-business sale.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
. The first stand-alone store was opened in 1973. The company now has annual sales of around $78 million and employs 350.
In 2000, the company adopted the Roomful Express name after flat sales were blamed on its Freight Liquidators name, which the owners felt did not accurately reflect the business of the corporation. After the name change, the company promoted itself on the concept of buyers being able to choose a theme for a room by selecting from the store's sold-by-the-piece items. The company's main offices are in the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, Pennsylvania
Crafton, Pennsylvania
Crafton is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, west of downtown Pittsburgh. The population grew from 1,927 in 1900 to 4,583 in 1910 and to 7,163 in 1940. The population was 5,951 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Nine stores are located in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
, plus one in St. Clairsville, Ohio
St. Clairsville, Ohio
St. Clairsville is a city in Belmont County, Ohio in the United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,057 at the 2000 census. This county seat of Belmont County has been nicknamed "Paradise on the Hill." St. Clairsville was named after...
. Along with national big box chains, the company's main local competitor is Levin Furniture
Levin Furniture
Levin Furniture is a Pittsburgh area furniture retailer. The company was founded in 1920 by Jessie Levin in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania as a general sales clearance center. In the 1940s, the Levin family phased out over items and began to concentrate on furniture. However, not until 1978, did the...
.
On December 8, 2010 Roomful Express announced its going-out-of-business sale.