Ashley Furniture Outlet will open on April 1 in the former Barney’s Furniture location, 1987 W. Wabash Ave. Supply chain issues related to the pandemic have delayed the opening, which was originally planned for fall 2020.
“Most of the showroom will be devoted to home furnishings, including a large selection of ready-to-assemble pieces,” said owner Barry Seidman. “Much of the merchandise for Ashley Outlet is produced specifically for the Outlet with lower prices than those generally found in furniture stores.”
The east portion of the showroom will house mattress store Sleep Savers, which has its own entrance, but is also accessible from Ashley Furniture Outlet.
The Seidman family already owns the Ashley HomeStore locations in Springfield, Jacksonville and Quincy, but Seidman said the outlet store is a different concept. In a previous interview, he told SBJ, “It’s a new concept developed about three years ago. I wasn’t ready to do it then because it was a brand-new concept and I wanted to see how it was working.” Seidman noted that there are now around 35 Ashley Furniture Outlet stores nationwide.
Barney’s Furniture reopened on June 1, 2020 when the stay-at-home orders ended, but only long enough to have a going-out-of-business sale. However, Seidman said the pandemic was not to blame, and plans were already in the works to convert the location to an Ashley Furniture Outlet.
