ARCHBOLD, Ohio — When Lewis, Albert, and Edward Rupp and their partner Frank Rowe first began selling furniture on Defiance Street in downtown Archbold, World War I was still six years away, women could not vote, and the RMS Titanic had yet to be built.
But after 112 years in business, Rupp Furniture & Carpet Co. is about to disappear for good.
The retailer, which started as a combination furniture seller and undertaker — a common combination for rural areas in the early 20th century — currently is conducting a going-out-of-business sale. No official last day of business is set. Rather the store will close when its last piece of furniture is sold.
Jason King, who with his wife, Carrie, purchased the furniture company from the Rupp family in 2017, said a new business venture presented itself six months ago and he had to choose whether to keep the existing business going or accept the new offer.
“It’s been a great business for over 100 years, but at this point in time there are opportunities for me to make some changes. We had to make a decision so we decided to close the furniture store,” said Mr. King, who lives in nearby West Unity, Ohio.
“Some opportunities arose that were better for our family, so we took them,” he said. He declined to discuss what the new business venture would be, but said that he had a limited time to make the decision.
The decision did not come easily and was not made lightly.
Mr. King said Rupp Furniture, which over its lengthy lifespan has been known as Rowe & Rupp, Rupp Furniture & Undertaking, Rupp Furniture Co., and finally, Rupp Furniture & Carpet Co., was still a profitable business.
He said he consulted members of the Rupp family to tell them of his decision and they were comfortable with it.
“I didn’t want to ruin their good name in the community,” Mr. King said.
Operating out of a two-story building and a three-story building with a combined 40,000 square feet of space on North Defiance Street, longtime customers continued to shop at Rupp’s for their furniture and carpeting needs.
Among its customers is Kevin Sauder, president and chief executive of Archbold-based Sauder Woodworking Co., which started out 86 years ago making kitchen cabinets and over the last 70 years has grown into the nation’s largest maker of ready-to-assemble furniture.
“It is sad to see such a fine institution as Rupp Furniture come to an end. They served our community very well,” Mr. Sauder said.
Mr. King, who operates King’s Sleep Shop and Home Furnishings in West Unity and in Fremont, Ind., plus three seasonal Holiday decor shops in West Unity, Fremont, and Swanton, said similar tributes have been coming in since early February when Rupp Furniture sent out a letter to its regular customers announcing a final preferred sale.
“It is with a heavy heart that after 112 years of serving the good people of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and beyond with their premier furnishing needs we have made the difficult decision to close,” the letter stated in part.
“It’s been tough since we announced our decision,” Mr. King said. “It’s been quite overwhelming with customers coming in — old customers, new customers, people that have shopped our business for all their lives and their parents’ lives.”
But, Mr. King said, “All good things must come to an end.”
He added that he hopes Archbold residents will like his new business venture, which should begin fairly soon after the last piece of furniture is sold.
“My wife and I are still very community-minded. But it was just that an opportunity came up that we couldn’t pass up and we actually toyed with this idea last year,” Mr. King said.
“Yes, the Rupp name will disappear. But maybe people right now don’t know the full scope of things,” he said. “I can tell you that it will be a good thing for the community and even the Rupp family likes it. I’ve got their blessing for this.”
First Published February 29, 2020, 7:30 a.m.
