The success of the furniture retail industry relies on a healthy real estate market, which has not performed well in recent months.
“The housing market is just stuck in neutral,” Emarketer principal analyst Zak Stambor told Retail Dive. “By and large, just few people are moving, and the lack of housing turnover means there’s a smaller-than-normal market for goods.”
Existing home sales fall
Existing home sales in January 2026 fell by 8.4%, compared to December 2025, to the lowest level since August 2024 and declined 4.4% compared to January 2025, according to data from the National Association of Realtors, cited by the National Association of Home Builders.
When consumers buy houses, they often also purchase new furniture for the rooms in their new home. If consumers are not buying furniture, it can lead to home furnishing store distress and, in some cases, closures.
Waltman Furniture closes its retail operation after 75 years in business.
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Waltman Furniture closes last store
After decades of sales success, iconic Pennsylvania home furnishings chain Waltman Furniture will close its remaining location and warehouse after completing a liquidation sale that begins on April 9. The owner plans to retire after closing.
The Kittanning, Pa.-based furniture retailer has hired Planner Furniture Promotions to conduct the going-out-of-business process on behalf of Waltman Furniture, according to Furniture Today.
Largest furniture store in Butler County
The 75-year-old retailer originally opened its first store in 1951 in Chicora, Pa., where it became the largest furniture store in Butler County, Pa., the Butler Eagle reported.
Founder Vernon Waltman handed the company over to his son Frank Waltman in 1982. Walman would expand the business in 2016, opening a second location in Kittanning.
The company later closed the Chicora store and consolidated operations in the newer location in 2023, according to a press release from Planner Furniture Promotions, BedTimes reported.
Owner seeks sale of real estate
Waltman plans to sell the 100,000 square-foot showroom and warehouse facility in Kittanning after liquidating all inventory, then retire.
“Frank and his family have built an exceptional legacy,” Tom Liddell, senior vice president of Planner Furniture Promotions said in a statement. “Their dedication to customer service earned the trust of generations of customers and we’re proud to support them through this final chapter.”
Retailer offers top brands
Customers can purchase discounted furniture, mattresses, and accessories from top brands at Waltman, including Beautyrest, Best Home Furnishings, Brooklyn Bedding, Flexsteel, HomeStretch, Leather Italia, Mayo Furniture, Mega Motion, Serta, Southern Motion, Spring Air, and Vaughan-Bassett.
The furniture industry has lost several other independent furniture chains and stores to retirement in recent months.
Several of the furniture businesses that closed had multi-generational owners who operated for decades. That was the case with Greenbaum Home Furnishings, a family-owned operation since 1959.
Store owners retire
Greenbaum Home Furnishings, which at one time operated four stores and a warehouse in Washington, announced on its Facebook page that it will close its last remaining store in Bellevue, Wash., after conducting a final retirement sale beginning March 19.
Furniture store chain Kasala Modern Home Furnishings closed down its three stores also in the Pacific Northwest, as the owners retired from the industry to focus on other business and personal interests, according to its website.
The Seattle-based furniture chain Kasala Modern Home Furnishings rolled out “The Great $5 Million Store Closing Sale” with a private sale that began Feb. 4 and expanded to the general public on Feb. 6, seeking “to sell our entire and complete stock to the bare walls as quickly as possible,” according to a message on its website.
Related: 67-year-old furniture chain closes last store, no bankruptcy