Schewel’s Home, downtown Williamston’s flagship store since 1992, is moving to a larger location next month near Piggly Wiggly.
The Williamston location has been a downtown retail anchor store, located on Main Street for the past 32 years.
When Elias Schewel came to the United States in 1889 he had little idea he was planting a seed that would grow from Lynchburg, Virginia to West Virginia and eventually Williamston, North Carolina. With 51 stores in three states, Schewel’s Home is a local store with a regional reach.
“My great-great-grandfather, Elias Schewel came to the U.S. in 1889, settling in Lynchburg, Virginia. He started out as a peddler selling pots, pans, chairs and sundries – first on foot and then with a horse and buggy,” said Director of Operations Matt Schewel. “He opened his first store in 1897 in Lynchburg.”
Company leaders said there was a reason for the change in location for the Williamston store.
“We are thrilled to move to our new location in Williamston, where we can offer an enhanced shopping experience and a wider selection of home furnishings,” said CEO Marc Schewel. “Our new store on Washington Street will better serve the needs of our community with more space and an updated showroom.”
Changes in society and their buying habits have impacted the furniture business. Decades ago families were building, 'McMansions" which required more, often larger furniture. Today, tiny houses are coming into style.
With over 135 years of retail experience, the Schewel family knows furniture. The company’s buyers shop the High Point furniture market twice a year and identify the styles and market trends according to Matt Schewel.
Matt Schewel said there were multiple reasons for the move.
“Moving the store was really prompted by two things: wanting to reach more customers and provide them with a better experience. We feel like our new location – next to Piggly Wiggly – will help both stores bring in more customers. Also, we have been undergoing a company-wide renovation of our stores, which includes an open floor plan and a furniture setup that allows customers to visualize what these products would look like in their homes”, said Matt Schewel.
While Schewel’s has it’s roots in Elias’s split-bottom chairs, originally sold from a horse and buggy, today Schewel’s offers products for everyone, including lawn and garden equipment, electronics, outdoor furniture and appliances.
Williamston store manager Wendy Cherry has been with the company for 23 years and was promoted to the manager’s position over three years ago.
“We are so excited about the move. We are going to have more space and a number of promotions during our opening,” said Cherry, who oversees seven other employees.
Schewel’s Home is currently one of the largest continuously owned family furniture companies in the country. The success is attributed to the founder’s principals.
“Unlike online retailers, we provide exceptional service throughout the sales process, including professional delivery service and extended customer care options. Finally, we are a family-owned and family-run business – and we treat our customers like family. We have plenty of second and third-generation customers, and we pride ourselves on that,” said Matt Schewel. “It all goes back to our mission statement: We provide affordable home furnishings and exceptional service to generations of families. We provide affordability in two ways: offering great values with our furniture and also with our financing.”
“We do all of our financing in house, and that means we can extend credit to a lot of folks who wouldn’t otherwise qualify,” he added.
Schewels Home’s new location is 714 Washington St. in Williamston. The grand opening celebration will take place over two days, beginning Friday, Aug. 2 and continuing on Saturday, Aug. 3, both days starting at 10 a.m.
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