Although still located on Ocean Drive, Eagle Furniture and Accessories, owned by Alan Howell, has moved a few blocks to the east. On March 4, it opened its doors at 1355 Ocean Drive.
“It’s bigger and it’s one story,” said Howell of the 3,400 square-foot space now filled with Eagle Furniture’s inventory of furniture, lamps, rugs, beds, bedding and artwork. It also includes a small loft area Howell intends to use for bedding and children’s furniture.
Using a warehouse-type display, Howell carries couches, recliners, chairs with lifts, wooden chairs and stools, bookshelves, end and coffee tables, desks and an assortment of dressers. He also has mattresses, bed frames, and standing and table lamps.
Customers can special order pieces made by Best Home Furnishings, with thousands of fabric samples available.
Howell originally opened Eagle Furniture in 2003 on Ben Walters Lane and later moved to the Von Building on East End Road. When Fireweed Academy, a public charter school, expanded to include kindergarten through second grade, Howell relocated the furniture store to 1275 Ocean Drive, a two-story building owned by John Owen, and the school moved into the space vacated by Eagle Furniture.
The recent sale by Owen of the Ocean Drive property made it necessary for Howell to once again find a new location. Owen said an existing business will be moving into the building, but he was not ready to release details.
Of Eagle Furniture’s new location that Howell is renting, he said, “Homer Physical Therapy was going to expand in this building, but it’s going to be awhile yet.”
A clearance sale helped make the move a bit easier. The larger space means Howell can spread out on the ground floor and use the loft for lighter and smaller items, like mattresses and children’s furniture.
While the furniture business has not escaped the downturn in the country’s economy, Howell said an upswing in sales indicates that may be turning around.
“I didn’t know how tied this was to tourism,” he said. “But if they don’t come up here, they don’t buy the lot and build a house.”
The combination of increased sales and the new location has boosted Howell’s optimism.
“I think this is going to be good,” he said.
McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.
