'Mt. Pleasant's answer to George Bailey': Robert Levin reopens family's flagship furniture store

Apr. 15—When Robert Levin inked a deal last spring to acquire 17 of his former family furniture and mattress stores from a bankrupt Michigan-based chain, it was cause for celebration.

But something was missing.

On Wednesday, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place when Levin — along with business partners John and Matt

Schultz — traveled to Mt. Pleasant to celebrate the reopening of the downtown store his grand­father founded 101 years ago.

"It's such a special day, the return of Levin's to Mt. Pleasant," Levin said, addressing a crowd of employees, retirees and local residents at the store. "Levin Furniture opened at the end of the first pandemic at the end of World War I, and now we're reopening at the end of another pandemic."

Standing in front of a large mural featuring sepia-tone images of his parents and grandparents and early employees, Levin thanked everyone, singling out employees and retirees who helped build the company.

"Those are the folks who made Levin Furniture successful, and we couldn't have done it without you," he said.

"This is a big plus for the community. Everyone is excited," longtime Mt. Pleasant Mayor and fire Chief Jerry Lucia said.

The event marked the latest stop in a journey that began a year ago when Levin learned that the family furniture chain he sold to Art Van Furniture in 2017 was on the verge of folding as the Michigan chain spiraled into financial chaos.

Levin reached a preliminary deal to buy back the stores in March 2020, when the pandemic shutdown hit and Art Van filed for bankruptcy. Although the court eventually approved a bid that allowed him to buy back 17 stores, another bidder beat him to the block and managed to buy a group of stores, including the family's flagship in Mt. Pleasant that his grandfather Sam Levin opened in 1920.

Loves Furniture and Mattresses, a newcomer to the retail furniture world, wasn't long for the business. Citing supply chain problems fueled by the pandemic, among other issues, Loves filed for bankruptcy in January.

The Mt. Pleasant store that had reopened as a Loves location late last year closed in a matter of weeks. And Levin was able to secure a deal to acquire the leases for the Mt. Pleasant store and two former Levin stores in Robinson and Peters Township, as well as two Wolf Furniture outlets in Altoona and State College which Loves never opened.

Like dozens of other communities across the region, Mt. Pleasant has been plagued with the departure of signature industries in recent decades. The loss of nearby employers such as Volks­wagen, Sony and Lenox was painful. But Levin's had been a stalwart community fixture through it all, occupying a big chunk of downtown real estate with stores on the opposite sides of the 600 block of Main Street. Their employees and customers represented generations of local residents.

And each year as the holidays approached, locals eagerly anticipated the unveiling of the Christmas windows.

Dee Henry went to work at the store when Robert's father, Leonard Levin, hired her just after graduation from art school in 1969. She came back when Robert Levin reacquired the store. She recalled how she honed her skills with Levin's mother, Sally, who helped her create the Christmas windows and eventually took over the task.

She was on hand Wednesday, assisting customers and explaining the ins and outs of various lines. She blushed, caught unaware when Robert Levin called her up to help cut the ribbon marking the reopening of the store.

Paul Fess, a longtime Levin's warehouse employee, who races a late-model Chevy bearing the Levin's logo, also was on hand. His race car was parked in front of the store as maroon and white balloons festooned the entrance.

He compared his boss to the beloved character Jimmy Stewart portrayed in "It's a Wonderful Life."

"Robert's great. He's Mt. Pleasant's answer to George Bailey, with everything he's done for the town," Fess said.

Levin celebrated the store's return, gifting everyone who attended a set of glass tumblers etched with the company's 100th anniversary logo. He also presented a check to help underwrite maintenance on the Coal and Coke Trail, a local recreational path linking Mt. Pleasant and Scottdale.

Launching a business — or in the case of Robert Levin, coming out of retirement to relaunch a family firm — in the middle of a pandemic might seem counterintuitive.

But Levin sees the other side of the coin.

He said demand for a new look in homes where families are spending more time has been brisk. And while manufacturers and the supply chain have yet to fully recover from covid shutdowns, he and his partners have the advantage of longtime relationships.

Nonetheless, the industry is still emerging from last year's slowdown. While Levin is welcoming new customers, the company is working with customers left with unfilled orders after his predecessors closed abruptly.

"There are still long delays," Levin said. "The quickest turnaround is with mattresses right now. We're the leader in that."

When the Altoona and State College showrooms reopen this summer, the chain will boast 25 stores. To date, it has hired — and in many instances rehired — about 800 employees.

"By this summer, with Altoona and State College, we'll have a little over 1,000 employees," Matt Schultz said.

Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at 724-850-1209, derdley@triblive.com or via Twitter .