Return to Larson Furniture main menu
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Larson's Home Furnishings
1949 - 1974
Eddie and Ed Larson |
The Kenyon store and mortuary were purchased by Lars’ son, Edwin R., in 1939, from the Rueben Hanson family. The funeral parlor was relocated to a large home in 1945. A fire severely damaged the furniture store on a winter night in 1948. Edwin R. chose not to rebuild it. The funeral business was sold in 1949. | |
Edwin’s son, Edwin A., served in WWII then graduated from the University of Minnesota with a mortuary science degree. He joined his father briefly in the Kenyon businesses then became a traveling sales representative for Broyhill Industries. As he traveled he searched for the right community to establish his own furniture store and to raise his family. |
 |
|
Building the Redwood Store in 1949 |
In 1949 Edwin A. selected Redwood Falls as his first location. Because Redwood Falls had a fine mortuary, Edwin A. did not pursue adding these services to his business. Instead, he concentrated on making Larson’s Home Furnishings one of the finest furniture stores in Southwest Minnesota. After the Kenyon fire, his father, Edwin R., relocated to Redwood Falls to help grow the business. The grand opening was held in December, 1949. Today, the Redwood Falls store continues in the original building on the corner of Mill and Fourth Streets, but it has tripled in size. |
|
People often ask where the tag line: Feather Your Nest With A Little Down originated. In truth, Eddie saw it on a furniture store in South Dakota that was going out of business. He figured that store did not need it anymore, so he adopted the tag line for his business. The phrase and feather have become as well known as the Larson name. |
 |
|
Marshall Store Grand Opening 1955 |
To support the growing post-war population, Edwin A. added a store in Marshall, Minnesota, 36 miles west of Redwood Falls, in 1955. He purchased an existing furniture business located in a three-story building in the central business district. The entire business district was flooded in June, 1957, when the Redwood River overflowed its banks. A new building was built in 1962 in a cornfield east of the city. The building has been expanded several times and is now considered to be in the heart of the action across Highway 19 from Southwest Minnesota State University. | |
Redwood Store Grand Opening 1949 |
Marshall Store 1955 |
 |
|
|
KNUJ Promotional 1954 |
|
Click here to view chapter 3 of the Larson family history last modified on February 3, 2012 |
|
