Roy's Furniture set to close Durham location

A mainstay of Durham Street will close its doors this fall.

Two months ago, Roy's Furniture sold its Durham Street building to a physician who plans to move his office to the building and rent space to other businesses, said the store's owner/operator, Monique Roy-Shaw.

Roy's Furniture is set to move out by the end of September.

But fans of the more than six-decade-old furniture store shouldn't fear — Roy's Furniture will continue to operate out of its Elm Street shop.

Roy-Shaw said her family made the decision to sell the 38,000-square-foot Durham Street location — which is mostly warehouse space — because with faster deliveries from suppliers, they don't need so much storage room.

With the sale of the Durham Street store, they've secured warehouse space on Notre Dame Avenue that better meets their needs.

The business, now specializing in Canadian-made furniture, was started in 1953 by Roy-Shaw's father, Rhéal Roy, who sold radios and televisions, and specialized in repairing electronics.

Roy's Furniture moved into the Durham Street location — previously occupied by the Bannon Bros. furniture store, as evidenced by the old sign painted on the brickwork on the side of the building — back in 1976.

“It's not your typical furniture store,” Roy-Shaw said. “It's got more of a warmth to it, and more of a history to it as well.”

The business owner said she'll miss working out of Durham Street when Roy's Furniture consolidates its operations on Elm Street.

“This is my happy place,” Roy-Shaw said, adding she enjoys her customers and the vibrant nature of Durham Street. “I love this store.”

The inventory at the Durham Street store is currently being sold off at deep discounts as the business' 16 employees prepare for the move.

Roy-Shaw said many customers coming in to check out the sales have told her they're sad the second downtown location is closing.

“It's been actually emotional, because a lot of ladies have expressed how much they'll miss the store,” she said.

For more information, visit roysfurniture.com.