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A Brief History of Larson's Home Furnishings: 1908–2008

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Larson's Home Furnishings, a name that almost everyone in southwest Minnesota will recognize with good reason, located in both Redwood Falls and Marshall, celebrates its 100^th year in business.

Scott Larson, the fourth generation of the Larson family, manages the business started by Lars Larson in 1908. Lars and his wife, lured from Norway to South Dakota in 1887 with the promise of free land and boundless opportunity, settled three miles north of Selby and began farming. On October 3, 1906, he visited the small town of Mobridge, a growing railroad town in South Dakota. [Originally, a name people used for the nearby railroad bridge across the Missouri River: Mo combined with bridge.] He stop to watch an auction and left owning two Main Street lots. Like others of the day, he knew something about carpentry and understood a newcomer's needs; so, in 1908, he decided to open a furniture and funeral undertaker business in Mobridge.

Lars's descendants followed in his footsteps. His four sons, Martin, Lenny, John, and Edwin, ran operations in Kenyon, Glenwood, Rapid City, and Mobridge. Edwin and Edwin, Jr.—Scott's grandfather and father—in 1949 opened Larson's Home Furnishings in Redwood Falls. [Today, the Redwood Falls and Marshall stores are the only ones left in the family.]

Edwin Jr. worked as a traveling salesman for Broyhill. In the 1940s, while still working working for Broyhill, he acquired the slogan Feather your nest with a little down from a man who was going out of business. In 1955, he bought out a furniture store in downtown Marshall. Two years later, the store flooded creating a lasting memory for Scott:

I'd have been seven years old at the time, but I remember all the mud and the overpowering smell. Eddie vowed never to be in a store with a basement after that.

Edwin Jr. purchased a cornfield on the east side of Marshall—on the edge of town back then—that became, in 1967, the large, one level Larson's Home Furnishings showroom. He later purchased the building next door to accomodate a warehouse and parking lot.

To help make their 100 years in business special, Larson's Home Furnishings will host an event for each of the twelve months of the 100^th year. Scott, working with his father since 1975 and now operating Larson's Home Furnishings, described the event:

It took us 100 years and four generations to get to this point. So we are going to celebrate our 100^th anniversary all year long. Every month will be a special event in both stores:

• A lucky customer will win a $100.00 gift certificate each month.A deserving charity will receive a $100.00 donation each month.
• A grand finale of prizes and gifts at our Christmas by Candlelight open house in November.
• A free LED keychain gift is available to every customer who comes in the door.

During his years in the home Furnishings business, Scott said he's seen a lot of things change and lot of things continue to remain the same:

Our commitment to customers, working with employees, working with manufactures, and working with other businesses in town to maintain a healthy business climate has remained the same over the years. What changed is the mix of product. A sofa is still a sofa—La-Z-Boy furniture has become more well-known—and the range and quality of the items are continually improving.

There are a lot of things we don't carry anymore like card table sets, bassinets, high chairs, and cribs. At one point we were the only place in town to have those products. Big box stores have taken over a lot of that product; much of it being outsourced from places like China.

In addition, Scott describes how inventory, marketing, delivery, methods of payment, and communications with customers have all changed:

We've gone from kerosene, horse and buggy, and telegraph to LED lighting, hybrid vehicles, and the Internet.

Through all of those changes, however, Larson's Home Furnishings survived and thrived. Scott said the secret to the longevity and success of Larson's Home Furnishings is simple. It's the Golden Rule. Scott smiled and added a final thought:

It's a lot of fun and work. It's a changing business, but the basics always stay the same: We just treat the customers how we would like to be treated.

Most importantly, our 100^th anniversary provides us with an opportunity to say thank you for your support, patronage, and frendship through the years—59 in Redwood and 53 in Marshall.

Thank You!

Last Modified on September 19, 2008