A business that has been operating in Chatham-Kent for the past four decades will be closing up shop soon, but not before a final send-off.
Nelson Coelho, who has been running the day-to-day operations at Bedrooms and More Manufacturing Ltd. in Wallaceburg for the past 25 years, said now is the right time to close their doors for good.
Coelho's father, Fernando -- who has since retired -- started the business in 1977 when it was called Wallaceburg Woodworking. At the time, they focussed on making windows and doors out of a shop on Water Street. However, after a fire sparked in 1984, the business moved to a new location where it has remained since on Highway 40. Years later, Wallaceburg Woodworking became the current Bedrooms and More as it included more variety.
Coelho said the overall experience of running a family-owned business in the area for so long has been "rewarding".
"It's nice to be able to make something and see the fruits of your labour from beginning to end," he said. "The community has been great to us over these 42 years and we have great memories."
Coelho said there are several reasons why now is the right time to stop operations, one of which involves a shift in the furniture-making industry.
"A lot of furniture today -- I would classify as disposable," he said. "People don't admire the quality like they once did."
Another factor does have to do with online shopping, but Coelho said the sales of mattresses are more affected by that than other furniture items.
"We build [products] from beginning to end and make a good quality product but you could say the demand for it is less and less," he said.
Over the next month, the local business will be working to complete orders, as they do sell products at other stores across the province.
"As soon as that is done, we will turn our focus on having a close-out sale where we will make products to basically wholesale it out of our store until it's all gone," he said.
As for what's next, Coelho said it's something that is still undecided as they're more so focused on winding down operations at Bedrooms and More.
"We're looking to sell the product and move on to something totally different going forward," he said.
An exact date for when Bedrooms and More will host their close-out sale has yet to be determined but Coelho predicts it will be sometime in mid-March. Items are expected to be sold "at significantly reduced prices".