106-year-old furniture store in Hubbard closing its doors

HUBBARD, Ohio (WKBN) – The closing signs went up on September 9. The Stewart Furniture store that’s been in the same location in downtown Hubbard for 106 years is closing.

The three owners of Stewart Furniture — all siblings — had a free moment Friday afternoon to talk about their store.

“Mom came to work for Lawrence Stewart in 1941 when she graduated from high school,” Polly Jones said.

“My father started here after World War II. He was an appliance repairman,” Mark Sarisky said.

“We all want to continue but we’d like to take a little more time off,” Sally Severa said.

Their parents bought Stewart Furniture from the Stewart family in 1976, continuing to operate the store that first opened on Hubbard’s N. Main Street in 1918.

The siblings are all 65 or older now and business lately has been tough.

“Prices have skyrocketed,” Sarisky said.

“I’m the bookkeeper. Thirty-eight percent is more like it since the pandemic. That’s a heck of a chunk of change to go up in four years,” Jones said.

“We can’t find help. We’ve tried and it’s the problem everywhere,” Severa said.

Virtually every square foot of Stewart’s four floors is filled with furniture and accessories. In the basement are recliners. The first floor is couches. The floor above, dining room sets — all with a modern look.

All the floors are connected by the original freight elevator, which is still operated by hand.

“It’s heavy. The more weight on, the harder it is to pull. You just keep pulling,” Sarisky said.

The decision to close was unanimous among the siblings. All of them agree it’s time.

“I’ll be able to relax and don’t have to worry about the headaches of coming here every day,” Sarisky said.

“Oh, I wish there was a niece or a nephew that was taking this business over,” Jones said.

“Lots of wonderful people we’ve met over the years,” Severa said.

There’s enough stock that Stewart Furniture will stay open until around Thanksgiving, then will close. At that point, the building will be put up for sale.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.