Graffis Furniture Up in the Air

December 28, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 29, 2010

South Bend, Ind., furniture retailer Graffis Furniturea faces an uncertain future due to a highway project, the South Bend Tribune reported Monday.

The high-end store on U.S. 31 faces a forced move as the Indiana Department of Transportation upgrades that stretch of the road to a limited-access highway.

Store owners Tom and Judy VanDerHeyden, however, don't know when the state will buy the property or where they'll move the operation.

"We are completely in the dark," Tom VanDerHeyden said in the Tribune report. "Really, you can't make any decisions until they come and talk to you. I'm trying to keep six families working, and it's hard when you don't know what's ahead of you."

Several other businesses along the corridor face similar questions.

VanDerHeyden told the paper he's ready for the store's future to get out of limbo.

"There is a lot of commercial property available right now, so there are some good spots for us to look at," he said. "This is an opportune time to find a new store and get things going."