Breuners Home Furnishings

Breuners Home Furnishings was a chain of furniture stores in Southwestern United States for 148 years before declaring bankruptcy in 2004.

Breuners Home Furnishings
TypeAmerican private company
IndustryRetail (Specialty)
Founded1856 in Sacramento, California, United States of America
FounderJohn Breuner
Defunct2004 (retailer, internet outlet closed soon after)
Area served
Internet
Key people
Bill Breuner, Beth Breuner Grebitus
Productsfurniture
WebsiteNow defunct

Founded in California during the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, its stores served California and Nevada before expanding to the east coast in the late 20th century.[1] In 2004 the company declared bankruptcy,[2] closed all its retail stores. For a time it had been a virtual brand on the Internet until it too went defunct.

History

The store was founded in 1856 by William Robert “Bill” Breuner’s great-grandfather[1] John Breuner (1828–1890) to cater to prospectors during the California Gold Rush.[3] The first store opened in Sacramento, California with subsequent branches in Oakland, San Francisco and later throughout California and Nevada. The company went public in 1968 under Bill Breuner.[1] Breuner sold the company in the 1970s[4] and it was acquired by Marshall Fields in 1983.[1] At its height Breuners operated 40 retail outlets.[1] The stores were large bigboxes around 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2).[5] By the 1990s the company was based in San Diego and in 1995 expanded into the New York and New Jersey markets by acquiring Huffman Koos’ 13 stores for 36.9 million dollars.[6] Breuners also owned Good’s Furniture stores.[7] Private investment company Oak Point Partners acquired the remnant assets, consisting of any known and unknown assets that weren't previously administered, from the Breuners Home Furnishings Corp., et al., Bankruptcy Estates on November 13, 2012. [8]

Legacy

Breuner Marsh, a wetlands area, and Breuner Field, a model airplane field within it, in addition to the Breuner Building in downtown Oakland, are all named after the family.[3]

Slogans
  • That's the beauty of Breuners!
  • I've been to Breuners, and now I've seen everything!

See also

References
  1. Obituaries Archived 2008-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, Stanford Alumni Magazine, September/October 2005, access date August 10, 2008
  2. Company News; Breuners Home Furnishings files for bankruptcy, The New York Times, July 15, 2004, access date September 8, 2008
  3. Genealogical Society marks 110 years of researching family, by Anallee Allen, Oakland Tribune, February 28, 2008, access date August 15, 2008
  4. Obituary: Beth Breuner Grebitus was civic pillar in Sacramento Archived October 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, by Robert D Dávila, Sacramento Bee, August 6, 2008, access date August 12, 2008
  5. Former Breuners to receive a makeover, by Christine Morente, Oakland Tribune, January 24, 2007, access date August 15, 2008
  6. Company News; Breuners Home Furnishings to acquire Huffman Koos, The New York Times, September 20, 1995, access date August 15, 2008
  7. Company News; Breuners Home Furnishings files for bankruptcy, The New York Times, July 15, 2004, access date September 10, 2008
  8. Order Approving the Sale of Certain Assets of the Debtors’ Estates to Oak Point Partners, Inc., Bankrupt Company News, November 15, 2012
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