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Levin Furniture now open in Boardman
BOARDMAN
With dozens of locations in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Levin Furniture has long eyed the Youngstown-area market.
“For many years, we’ve looked at this market and dreamed about being able to put a Levin location in this area,” said Chris Pelcher, Levin executive vice president and general manager.
That dream became a reality Friday with the grand opening of a store at 300 Boardman-Poland Road, the site of the former Goldsteins Furniture.
The new location is Levin’s 34th store and 16th full-line furniture store, which in total employ more than 950 people. The company also operates standalone Levin Mattress stores.
The opening was celebrated Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Levin employees, township officials, a Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber representative and some of the store’s first customers.
Also in attendance was a representative of Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, who accepted a $2,500 donation from Levin.
“This will be the first of many things we do for the community,” Pelcher said.
The store features a 52,000-square-foot showroom with name brands such as Flexsteel, La-Z-Boy and Ashley, as well as private collections such as Amish Village, West Coast Style and Grand Legacy. It will employ 26 people, including about a dozen who previously worked at Goldsteins.
The expansion into this market is just beginning, as Levin plans to open a showroom in Hermitage, Pa., next month and another in Niles in October.
Levin got its start in 1920, when it was founded in Mount Pleasant, Pa., by Sam Levin. The company remained family-owned until last year, when it was acquired by Boston-based private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.
The grand-opening celebration will continue today and Sunday. The store’s regular hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. On Labor Day, the showroom will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We’re really excited to be able to serve the folks of Boardman and show them what Levin can do, and how we can make their houses homes,” Pelcher said.