After 88 years in the furniture business, the Crawford family will close its last store this summer.

Crawford House, located at 4677 Columbus St. in the Virginia Beach Town Center, sells furniture, bedding and home accent products. It has been a local furniture retailer for nearly three generations and has been a part of the Ethan Allen store network for more than 60 years.

"It’s a somewhat bittersweet decision to retire after nearly 50 years," said Bert Crawford, owner of E.O. Crawford & Sons, when he announced his retirement earlier this year. "My family and I are so grateful for the opportunity we've had to develop wonderful relationships with so many people throughout our Hampton Roads community."

Crawford's grandfather, E.O. Crawford, opened the original store in Portsmouth in 1928. According to a previous Pilot report, the store name was later changed to Crawford House; the family then opened an Ethan Allen store in Chesapeake in 1968. Only the Virginia Beach store remains.

"Bert Crawford and his family have been an integral part of the Ethan Allen family ... They have built a well-respected business in Virginia Beach, and we plan to continue that legacy there," the company's chairman, president and CEO Farooq Kathwari told Inside Business.

According to store manager Paul Roy, Crawford House is set to close in mid-August. In the meantime, he said sales on well-known furniture brands will start Thursday.

A new Ethan Allen location will open in the Hilltop East Shopping Center on Laskin Road, according to Inside Business. Roy said the store won't open until the middle or end of the summer; it will no longer be owned or operated by the Crawford family. 

Crawford House's two-story, 25,000-square-foot location will be taken over by the Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System as a physical therapy center and undergo a five-month remodeling process. The center is scheduled to open in January.

(Source: pilotonline.com  Author: Lauren Young)