Ten years ago was not the best time to start a furniture company in Fayette County.
But sometimes, when an opportunity presents itself, you have to worry about the details later.
In 1994, Eddie Crumpton was working in a furniture company when he got a call from his brother Ronnie in Fayetteville.
“Ronnie told me the furniture company he was working for (ABC Furniture) was closing and we had an opportunity here,” Eddie recalled.
Eddie made the trek to Fayetteville and after a discussion with building owner Sonny Rozelle, the Crumptons decided to take the plunge.
“When we walked out of there, I told Ronnie that I hoped we weren’t getting inn over our heads,” he said.
The Crumptons talked it over with their mother, Ruth, who gave them money to get started. Ruth Crumpton was well acquainted with the furniture business since the Crumptons father worked in the business all his life.
The brothers, along with their brother Robin, started the business with no furniture and no customers. Today, the business has more than $3.5 million in inventory and sales of up to $6 million a year. The original 35,000 sq. ft. store in Fayetteville is now supplemented with another 25,000 sq. ft. warehouse and store in Tyrone.
The Crumptons quickly realized they would need a warehouse and eventually wound up getting an excellent deal on the Tyrone store.
“The man who ran the store wanted to get out of the business and came walking into our store with a folder. He gave us an offer to lease the building, but said he wasn’t going to negotiate,” Eddie said.
When the Crumptons didn’t call him back, he showed up at the store with another offer two days later. The Crumptons didn’t bite, and a month later, he showed up with an even lower offer.
“I said somebody is negotiating behind our back,” Ronnie said with a laugh.
The Crumptons eventually ended up buying the building, and brother Robin runs the delivery trucks and other operations out of that location.
All the Crumptons are big believers in being a part of the community, and attribute their success to staying involved.
“One of our first customers was the high school who wanted to borrow some chairs for a show. After seeing the furniture, one of the teachers came in and bought some stuff,’ Ronnie said.
Both Ronnie and Eddie started in the furniture business in the 60s and have used their experience to help many a customer in Fayetteville.
In the last year, Crumptons gained national exposure for their “God Bless America” banner that was prominently displayed in front of the store. Eddie recalls the hundreds of support calls he received and choked up when recalling the amount of patriotic fervor the banner supplied.
While the large banner may be gone, the sentiments are now stitched into the Fayetteville store’s awning.
“We lost our awning during the hurricanes and had to buy another. The awning company was able to stitch it into the fabric and didn’t charge us anything,” Eddie said.
Through the years, the Crumptons have used their love of country and service to win several loyal customers.
“We just let the customers know you’re they’re to help them,” Eddie said.
