In June of last year, the weeks following the blaze that burned down all of Roy's Furniture were chaos. General Manager Stacey Flood said without invoices or computer records, they didn't know what furniture was whose, or if a customer had ordered any at all. Still, the store was able to get back up quickly, even making some of the next day's deliveries after the fire.
"One man said he saw our truck pull up, and he almost fainted. We got his couch to him the next day," Flood said. Flood, 32, is the granddaughter of the company's late founder, Roy Warner, and a third-generation worker there.
The store's new location's reopening took a little longer than a day, but not much more than a year. During Labor Day weekend, Roy's hopes to reopen its Lincoln Park location with food, music and festivities. The longtime store will leave its warehouse location on South Western Avenue, where it has been located since the fire. During that time, Flood said, customers have been very supportive.
"The [first month] was a long journey of tracking down customers and furniture and getting it to the right people, but since then, a lot of custormers have come down [to the warehouse location]," she said. "Our customers have made the drive to help us keep hanging in there."
The new store will be about the same size, but a little different, with wall-sized windows to allow for more natural light so the furniture can stay "truer to its color."
Flood said Roy's also made an effort to be more ecological during the new construction, leaving some areas unfinished, using raw materials and trying to reduce the use of extra drywall, lumber or the like.
During the Labor Day reopening, Flood said there will be promotions and sales, though she's not yet sure what it will be. With the support they've had since the fire, she said customers will see more of the deals they've been used to.
"We're gonna give you a good deal if you're gonna support us," she said. "That's kind of what we've always stood for, having the best prices in the city."
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"One man said he saw our truck pull up, and he almost fainted. We got his couch to him the next day," Flood said. Flood, 32, is the granddaughter of the company's late founder, Roy Warner, and a third-generation worker there.
The store's new location's reopening took a little longer than a day, but not much more than a year. During Labor Day weekend, Roy's hopes to reopen its Lincoln Park location with food, music and festivities. The longtime store will leave its warehouse location on South Western Avenue, where it has been located since the fire. During that time, Flood said, customers have been very supportive.
"The [first month] was a long journey of tracking down customers and furniture and getting it to the right people, but since then, a lot of custormers have come down [to the warehouse location]," she said. "Our customers have made the drive to help us keep hanging in there."
The new store will be about the same size, but a little different, with wall-sized windows to allow for more natural light so the furniture can stay "truer to its color."
Flood said Roy's also made an effort to be more ecological during the new construction, leaving some areas unfinished, using raw materials and trying to reduce the use of extra drywall, lumber or the like.
During the Labor Day reopening, Flood said there will be promotions and sales, though she's not yet sure what it will be. With the support they've had since the fire, she said customers will see more of the deals they've been used to.
"We're gonna give you a good deal if you're gonna support us," she said. "That's kind of what we've always stood for, having the best prices in the city."
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.