Roy Bennett Furniture closing after 110 years

QUINCY — A downtown Quincy retail fixture is closing on Sept. 28.

After 110 years, Roy Bennett Furniture at 311 Maine will close with a going-out-of-business sale. Laura Wright, Roy Bennett’s great-great granddaughter, said her family has sold the building.

“I am honored to have been the fifth generation active in a business so deeply rooted in our family and community history,” she said in a news release.

Wright then put together some history of the beginnings of her family business:

“The furniture store was started in 1914 by Robert Leroy “Roy” Bennett.  It is my understanding that he grew up in Payson, and in his young years, he left school, instead riding a bike into Quincy to work at a furniture store around Washington Park.  He soon embarked upon his own entrepreneurial journey, walking door to door, selling furniture out of a catalog to be delivered later on a cart (can you even imagine?!).  One day, hopeful customers walked into his warehouse in a string of buildings near where the current store sits today, to shop for furniture. He then began to formulate ideas for a proper brick-and-mortar store.

“In 1927, after 13 years of being in business, he bought the property where the Lincoln-Douglas apartments sit today on the corner of Fourth and Maine.  He immediately sold the property, doubled his money and purchased the property at 311 Maine, where he erected the building that the store still sits in today.  A colorful and hungry businessman, Roy was equal partner in nine family furniture stores at the height of his career and advertised “over 100 floors of furniture.”  He wore custom suits and only “vacationed” in Michigan, where he would visit high-end furniture factories and socialize with their owners.

“Next in line was my great grandfather, Robert Franklin “Frank” Bennett, Roy’s son.  Frank was an aspiring artist, a lover of the opera … and as my mom has often stated, more suited for academia than a family furniture business.  Turns out, Frank was quite a good illustrator and several of his pieces hang on my walls today.  For a few years, Frank managed the store in Fort Madison, Iowa, until that store was eventually closed.  I never had the privilege of meeting Roy or Frank, but my mom remembers them both fondly.

“My grandad, Robert Malcolm ‘Mac’ Bennett, is the man many of you remember.  He was a relatively quiet man with a sharp sense of humor.  After graduating from Quincy High School, he went off to the University of Illinois for undergraduate school and then on to the University of Colorado for law school, where he met my grandmother.  After seven years as a practicing attorney in the U.S. Air Force, Mac returned home to take over the family business.

“Mac was deeply attached to the store.  Until his passing in 2021 at the age of 92, he came to work every day to pay bills and read the newspaper.  While my mom and I had taken over the buying, he would always perk up and chime in when we were buying leather and desks.  I can still see him coming out the office to chat with salesmen, particularly the older ones, about bygone furniture companies.  We often drove to work together and one day we passed one of the iconic historic homes on Maine Street that had a for sale sign in the yard.  He said, “I just put new carpet in that house!” Upon further discussion, we realized the ‘new’ carpet had been put in 40 years prior.  We laughed and laughed over that.

“My mom’s passion for the furniture business came from her warm memories of spending time with Roy.  After graduating from QHS, she went on to Knox College for two years and then to Mizzou to get her degree in interior design.  In 1979, she came home and has spent her career working at the furniture store and helping many of you design and decorate your interior spaces.

“And finally, there’s me … the fifth and last generation … and what a unique experience this has been!  It was never in my plan to come home and work at the store, and yet, it just happened organically.  I’ve loved working with my grandad and mom.  I’ve loved sharing Tuesday lunches at Tiramisu with my grandad and having morning coffee with my mom … all the while, having the freedom to start my own business under the very roof that has welcomed my family all the years prior.  It’s been a blessing to help so many of you with your homes, while also pursuing my artistic passions.  The “little store” as we’ve referred to my retail space, has been such a fun way to connect with friends, family and the general public in a tangible way.  We laugh that people come for a candle and leave with a recliner … or sometimes vice versa.  It’s been a special way to take someone else’s legacy and add my own spin.

“As I reflect on all of this, I have nothing but gratitude for this experience and for the thousands of you that have allowed us to thrive.  You have welcomed us into your houses and let us help you make them your homes.  Many of you have become friends along the way.  Thank you sincerely for 110 years.”

Roy Bennett Furniture will officially close on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Store hours are Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  All merchandise is an extra 40 percent off already marked sale prices. All sales are final.