Holyoke’s Eddie’s Furniture is closing after 91 years

For 91 years, Eddie’s Furniture has been a place where Massachusetts families could find a couch for the living room, a storage bed, or a dining room table — all at a bargain.

The furniture store, housed in a red barn in Holyoke, has been passed down through four generations of the Hicks family. Now, after nearly a century, it’s closing for good.

Owner Job Hicks, 79, said the decision comes as traffic at the store has slowed and funding for state-supported housing programs, which the business relied on, has dried up.

“The traffic coming into the store… has dwindled, especially over the past year,” Hicks told Boston.com on Friday.

The slowdown came just two years after Eddie’s Furniture had its best year ever, Hicks said. But he said he began to see the writing on the wall and decided it was time to retire. None of his family members wanted to take over the business.

The story of Eddie’s Furniture begins long before the store became a household name.

Cornelius Hicks, Hicks’s great-grandfather, built the large barn at 856 Hampden St. in 1870 and ran a workhorse business there. His son, Job Hicks, continued the horse business until he died in 1954.

Edward Hicks, the father of the current owner, began sweeping out horse stalls in 1935 and started selling furniture at the barn.

Job C. Hicks eventually took over the business in 1977. His younger brother, Peter, became manager in 1983.

The store became regionally famous after Peter began appearing in a series of television commercials in 1991 with his five children. In the ads, the children showcased the store’s furniture in exchange for cookies.

“We’ve been doing commercials for years, and we want to get paid,” the children said in one commercial. “Eddie’s does have quality furniture and low overhead prices. But what about us?”

The children were quickly bribed with some cookies.

Peter was such a big presence in the store that people mistook him for “Eddie.” He retired several years ago.

Now, as word spreads that the store is closing, Hicks said longtime customers have been stopping by to wish him well and to take advantage of the final bargains.

Everything in the store has to go.

“They are lower prices than I ever could have imagined,” Hicks said.

Hicks expects it will take several months to sell off the remaining furniture. After that, the barn will be sold.

Looking back, Hicks said he has mixed emotions about closing the store and retiring.

“I’m 80 percent thrilled and 20 percent nostalgic,” he said. “I used to love running the store.”