102-Year-Old Hudson Valley Business May be Forced to Move
A Hudson Valley business that's been around for more than a century could soon be forced to move, just months after settling into its brand-new home.
Davis Furniture announced this week that it may have to leave its massive showroom at the Shoppes at South Hills in Poughkeepsie by the end of September. The news comes only about five months after the longtime furniture store moved into the former Burlington location at the Route 9 shopping center.
According to Davis Furniture, the property owner wants to redevelop its new showroom into a self-storage facility.
Davis Furniture Just Moved Into Its Largest Store Ever
Back in March, Davis Furniture announced that it was moving from its longtime location at 2264 South Road to the Shoppes at South Hills. The move was the latest of roughly 16 different locations the business has occupied during its 102-year history.
At more than 80,000 square feet, the former Burlington space became the largest Davis Furniture showroom in the company's history. The business says things have been going extremely well since the move, with three straight months of record sales.
Unfortunately, Davis Furniture now says its future at South Hills is suddenly up in the air.
Davis Furniture Could Be Forced Out Next Month
In a message to customers, Davis Furniture explained that it signed a one-year lease when moving into the Shoppes at South Hills with the understanding that the two sides would eventually discuss the possibility of the furniture store purchasing the building.
Instead, Davis Furniture says the property owners have exercised a provision in the agreement that allows them to end the lease early.
According to the furniture store, the owners want to redevelop the space into a self-storage facility. We reported back in 2024 that the former Burlington was slated to become a self-storage business, and the Town of Poughkeepsie was reviewing the project. The review has been ongoing, and at its August 20 meeting, the Planning Board confirmed it has moved on to an architectural review for a retrofit of the existing building into a self-storage facility.
Davis Furniture says its current agreement now calls for the long-time business to vacate its showroom by September 30. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the store is moving just yet.
Davis Furniture says the owners of the plaza have offered the business another building at South Hills, as well as other properties they own. But the furniture store says its first choice is to stay exactly where it is.
Discussions are reportedly continuing in hopes that a new agreement can be reached before the September deadline.
Davis Furniture Remains Open in Poughkeepsie
Davis Furniture says its showroom remains fully open and employees are continuing to work their regular schedules. The company's website also continues to list the South Hills location as open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 6pm.
After 102 years and 16 moves, Davis Furniture certainly has plenty of experience packing up the showroom. The company says it's hopeful it won't have to do it again anytime soon and promises to update customers as negotiations continue.
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