asked Bilbo if he would sell him the refrigerator , which he agreed to do . That gave Bilbo an idea . “ We began selling used furniture in some space adjoining the grocery store ,” Anders said .
With the demand for furniture growing , Bilbo converted his grocery store into a furniture store in 1963 and offered both new and used furniture . The two brothers joined their father in the business .
“ Business was good ,” Anders recalled . “ The new furniture side of the business grew so that we completely converted to new furniture and then we needed more space .”
In June 1970 , the family moved their furniture store to its present location at 601 Front Street Extension , down the street from where Bilbo first opened his café and service station more than three decades earlier .
The store offers furnishings for all rooms in the house : area rugs of all sizes , wall décor and art , reclining furniture and decorative accessories .
The family has added onto the original 10,000-square-foot building four times , with it now encompassing 25,000 square feet of retail space .
Bilbo retired from the family business in the 1980s , but continued to come to the store daily until he passed away in 1989 .
Wayne retired in the late
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1990s . Billy and his son , David Anders , continue to operate Anders Furniture .
David began working in the store ’ s warehouse as a young man , delivering furniture , running errands and doing whatever needed to be done in the store , including changing lightbulbs .
“ I am still here and still doing some of the work I started out doing ,” he joked , though he now serves as the store ’ s general manager .
Said Billy Anders , “ Through the years , numerous members of our family have worked at Anders and have contributed to its success .”
Brother-in-law Jim Wells worked at the store until his death in a plane crash in 1980 . Wayne ’ s sons , Kevin and Justin Anders , worked there until they left to
We have been fortunate that we have had some wonderful employees over the years who have been dedicated to their work , to our customers and to our store , . . . . Our loyal employees and our loyal customers have helped us be successful .
Billy Anders
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pursue other business ventures .
In addition , other family members , including wives , a sister and children , have greeted customers over the decades .
The father-son duo credit dedicated employees and customers for helping to keep Anders Furniture in business through all of the ups and downs in the economy over the past 60-plus years .
“ We appreciate all of our loyal customers we have had over the years . They have been very supportive of us ,” said David . His father agreed . “ We have been fortunate that we have had some wonderful employees over the years who have been dedicated to their work , to our customers and to our store ,” Anders said . “ Our loyal employees and our loyal customers have helped us be successful .”
Photographer : Terrell Clark
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