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Berkshire Hathaway’s Jordan’s Furniture, a popular Massachusetts-based furniture retailer, will open new store in Connecticut in the Westfarms Mall in Farmington. The town is on the outskirts of the state capital, Hartford.
The store will open in 2024, occupying a former Lord & Taylor anchor store, and will feature more than 120,000 square feet of showroom floor space. The store will also have 5,000-square-feet of restaurant and entertainment attraction.
Jordan’s, with the slogan “Not Just A Store, An Experience,” is known for outfitting many of its stores with large entertainment attractions to enhance the shopping experience. Two of its stores have IMAX 3D theaters, and others have multi-level It Ropes Courses with over 30 activities, including zig-zag beams, spaghetti hand lines, angled rope ladders, crisscross walks, and a zip line.
Most Jordan’s are stand-alone locations, and Westfarms Mall will become its third mall location.
Founded in 1928 by Samuel Tatelman, who originally sold furniture out of a truck before opening his first Jordan’s store in Waltham, Massachusetts, the chain really took off in the early 1970s when his grandsons, Barry and Eliot Tatelman, took over the business and added a unique level of showmanship.
Store openings created great fanfare, and the 1987 opening day of the Avon, Massachusetts store reportedly caused the largest traffic jam ever recorded on Route 24.
The regional chain had four locations when it was sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 1999. The chain has since grown its locations, and Westfarms will become the eight location and second in Connecticut.
At the time of the acquisition, the retailer was approaching a quarter of a billion dollars in sales and sold more furniture per square foot than anyone in the U.S. Warren Buffett said, “Jordan’s Furniture is truly one of the most phenomenal and unique companies that I have ever seen. The reputation that Eliot and Barry have earned from their employees, their customers, and the community is unparalleled. This company is a gem!”
© 2022 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell a stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.