Furniture store, a ‘window to the past’ in Sampson, closing after three decades

The end of an era is approaching for the historic outlet store Furniture Market off Interstate 40 near Newton Grove, which has been serving members of Sampson County and beyond since the 1990s.

“Our acre building has been sold to a mini storage and we will be locking our doors for good in May,” the store said in a message on social media.

That announcement came in the beginning of this year though talks of the store being sold were expected following the passing of the building’s owners. Furniture Market is currently owned by Jason Reeves, who didn’t want to reveal the owning family’s name though he did speak on them.

“The building’s been owned since the 90s by a family in Dunn and the husband and wife passed away around 2020 so the building went up for sale,” Reeves said. “So we knew at some point it was gonna get sold after the family that owned it passed away.”

“The building was purchased in 2022 by an investor who plans to re-purpose the property as mini storage; that is to the best of our knowledge. We received official notice in January our lease would expire this summer and started our store closing celebration in late March.”

That celebration just ended, but Reeves reiterated that they’ll be in operation through May.

“We plan to be open until Memorial Day weekend unless we sell out of goods beforehand,” he said.

Reeves also noted that the building itself, which has been stationed on I-40 off Exit 343 since its construction, was built in the 1960s as a sewing factory. It would go on to first become a furniture outlet in the 1990s, remaining as such since.

“We are closing and the corporation is getting shut down,” Reeves said of Furniture Market.

Reeves’ tenure at Furniture Market began more than a decade ago. He reflected on what the business has meant, and the place it held off that interstate exit.

“I just think the building’s been a great landmark on Interstate 40 and I think everybody that’s worked here has enjoyed being a part of what it was,” he said. “It means something to the Triangle; it means something to Wilmington, it means something to Newton Grove and Sampson County. And so, I think because of that, that everybody that has worked here over the years is going to miss it. It was a part of the local community, but also, because it has be here so long as such a strong business, it truly became part of the region. So to be apart of that is special and it was really cool.

“It’s not just a regular furniture store,” he continued. “I think 50 years ago, North Carolina was littered with warehouse outlets like this and there’s just not many left. This is kind of, in the furniture world, this was like a window to the past.”