If a person makes it to 78-years-old, people usually think that’s a life well lived. For a business, 78 is beyond elderly based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

• 20% of businesses close within the first year
• 50% fail within five years
• 65% do not last beyond ten years
• Only 25% survive for 15 years or more

On Oct. 1, Outten Brothers Home Furnishings, a family-owned furniture retailer, shared that it was going out out of business after 78 years. The company began its going-out-of-business sales on Oct. 2 and has listed its building for sale.

Current owner Roland Powell Jr., who purchased the business in 2016 and later rebranded it as Outten Brothers Home Furnishings, did not really explain why he was closing the company.  

“Outten Brothers has always been about family, service, and community,” said Powell. “It’s been an honor to carry on this legacy, and April and I are deeply grateful to our customers for supporting us through the years,” he said on the brand’s website.

Now, Outten Brothers is being joined in shutting down by another furniture chain which has also celebrated 78 years in business.

New Deal Furniture closing

Like Outten Brothers, New Deal Furniture has been serving its community for 78 years. Its closing was unexpected and its going-out-of-business sale will be immediate,

The company shared the news on its website.

Family-owned New Deal Furniture El Paso, among the oldest and most respected furniture stores in the area, will close its doors forever, marking the end of a significant chapter for the independent retailer. The final store liquidation begins October 2 and all merchandise in its showroom and warehouse are for sale.

The news release on its website also celebrated the company’s long history.

New Deal Furniture El Paso was founded in 1947 by Henry A. and Magdalena Silva as New Deal Mercantile, a general store that carried everything from groceries to kerosene heaters and catered to a large farming community. In the late 1950s, the Silvas’ son-in-law, Robert V. Falvey, joined the business. With their approval, Falvey added a furniture annex, setting the stage for the company’s evolution into a full-service home furnishings retailer. Falvey later became president of the family-owned and operated business and, with the help of his children, guided the company’s growth for nearly five decades until his passing in 2014. Today, the store continues under the leadership of Falvey’s wife, Juanita Falvey, who continued the family
tradition of quality products, fair prices, and attentive service.

During the going-out-of-business sale home accessories will be discounted 50% and all fine area rugs will be discounted 65%. 

Featured brands include BenchMade, Elements, Flexsteel, Hekman, HomeStretch, Howard Miller, Jaipur Home, Kingsdown, Man Wah, Mayo Furniture, New Classic, Palliser, Serta, Tempur-Pedic and many more..

Related: 135-year-old drug store chain closes all its stores, liquidates

New Deal operated in multiple locations.

“As the Borderland community grew over the past seven decades so did New Deal Furniture El Paso. Starting with its original store on Alameda Ave., the company opened a second location in 1991 — a 64,000-square-foot showroom on Gateway East, where it operates today,” the chain shared.

The company’s showroom and warehouse are also being listed for sale.

Why furniture chains have struggled

You can blame the Covid pandemic for some of the struggles of the furniture business and the overall economy deserves some blame as well, but there’s no simple reason why the industry has struggled. 

An industry expert shared some insight with Business of Home.

“The big national brands are often operating at a gross margin of just above 60%, [while] an independent retail store is typically in the 40s,” says a furniture executive who asked not to be named in order to discuss the industry candidly. “That margin allows [bigger brands] to hire more experienced salespeople and have better collateral or a better digital experience—where independents have to make tough decisions about what to spend on.”

Ray Allegrezza, executive director of the International Home Furnishings Representative Association and former editor in chief of Furniture Today, thinks that there’s a reason so many chain’s have closed without going bankrupt trying to survive.

“There’s this sense that it’s just not fun anymore for some of these guys. You’ve got e-comm growing, you’ve got a tough business economy, you’ve got younger consumers that do not want heirloom furniture — it all makes perfect sense why these independents are shrinking,” he shared.

Furniture and home furnishings retailers closed since 2023 

• Outten Brothers Home Furnishings: liquidation / closure announced in 2025 after 78 years in operation
• Badcock Home Furniture & More: Closed all its 370-380 stores.
• Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams: fully closed showrooms in 2023
• Z Gallerie: closed all 21 stores (by end of 2023)
• The RoomPlace: Liquidated all 26 locations in early 2025
• American Freight Appliances & Furniture: Parent company filed Chapter 11 in 2024, shutting down all stores
• New Deal Furniture: Conducting going out of business sale.

Related: 78-year-old furniture chain closing, liquidating, no bankruptcy