Corner Furniture to close after 53 years, marking the end of a Bronx staple
Corner Furniture, founded 53 years ago, will shut its doors as the family behind the business prepares for its next chapter.
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A beloved Bronx mom-and-pop furniture store known for its catchy jingle is closing after more than five decades in business.
Corner Furniture, founded 53 years ago, will shut its doors as the family behind the business prepares for its next chapter.
Current owner Eric Stechler says the decision comes as the store struggles to compete with online retailers, rising tariffs and changing customer habits.
“We have online retailers that we have to compete with. Rising costs in tariffs. Changing customer habits — it's just getting harder and harder,” Stechler said.
Stechler isn’t the man from the store’s iconic commercial, but he grew up in the business.
He recalls sending his father — the original owner — a joke rap video in college, which unexpectedly inspired the commercial that became a local classic.
His father, born and raised in the Bronx, built the business from the ground up.
After earning his GED in the Army, he started selling sewing machines and mattresses door to door before eventually opening the store.
Since announcing the closure, Stechler says longtime customers have shared memories of visiting the store with grandparents.
“The generational thing — you don’t see that as much in retail anymore,” Stechler said.
While the store saw a surge of customers during the pandemic, sales have declined in recent years.
Stechler says the family decided it was time to close on their own terms.
“I don’t think that I would get back into furniture retail just because of how challenging it is,” he said.
As for what comes next, Stechler says he isn’t sure yet, but he’s looking forward to the future.
The building is now up for sale. Everything inside must go, and the family says the store’s final day will come when the last piece of furniture leaves the showroom.
