Levin Furniture reopens stores in McMurray, Robinson; soon Mt. Pleasant
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Jeff Federoff had just been laid off from his job at Levin Furniture & Mattress. The new ownership had gone bankrupt — and then the pandemic hit.
“I open my mail and there is a letter and a check from Robert Levin,” said Federoff, a 20-year employee from Canonsburg, as he stood inside the reopened Levin store on Wednesday in McMurray. “Robert is the best boss you could ever work for. He is so gracious and employees are blessed to work for him.”
Many team members like Federoff have been brought back to the stores since Robert Levin, chairman, came out of retirement to help resurrect the company. He knew employees had lost health care and had to wait to receive unemployment.
“I sent the letters and the checks because I just wanted to do something,” said Levin of Squirrel Hill, who sold the family business and retired in 2017 but has partnered with brothers John and Matt Schultz to acquire the Levin stores out of bankruptcy. The Schultz brothers also own and operate John V. Schultz Furniture in Erie, as well as Ashley Homestores in Erie, Pittsburgh and Youngstown.
“It has been an incredible journey,” Levin said. “So many twists and turns. We got this store reopened in record time.”
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Levin also reopened a showroom in North Fayette on Wednesday. The flagship store in Mt. Pleasant, which his grandfather opened more than a century ago, is planned to open the second week of April.
“We are extremely grateful to the community that has supported us through all of this,” Levin said.
He said he wanted to help the 1,000 employees who were let go — they’ve been able to rehire 80% of them.
“My main motivation to coming back is job preservation and taking care of employees,” Levin said. “They represent Levin’s and are the people who meet our customers and take care of them. Our customers trust them and that is important to our business.”
Levin said most customers who made down payments to the bankrupt company, Art Van Furniture, have been given credit toward a future purchase or a refund. Most of the service plans are being honored as well, he said.
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He said business is good because people are staying home more and want their houses to be comfortable and updated. Many also are updating a home office. People also have more money to spend since they aren’t eating out a lot or going on vacations, Levin said.
Levin said that patio furniture — also much in demand — should be arriving shortly.
The most challenging part now is getting orders filled, because the manufacturers have been behind during the pandemic.
As part of the reopening celebration, Levin is offering discounts, long-term financing and prizes for customers. A grand prize is a 24-month lease on a Ford Escape.
Levin Furniture was founded in 1920 in Mt. Pleasant by Sam and Jessie Levin, the grandparents of Robert Levin. It has 21 furniture and mattress showrooms, including freestanding mattress locations in Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
“It’s been a crazy ride,” Federoff said as he sat on one of the many couches in the showroom. “I can’t believe everything that has happened this past year. I am excited to be back. I am excited to help customers find furniture to make their homes more comfortable.”