Rollins Furniture is closing here after 57 years in business.
Third-generation owner Kevin Rollins hired Frankenmuth, Mich.-based RJ Rau Management, sales consultant and liquidator, to oversee the going-out-of-business sale, which began last month and is expect to run through the end of May.
RJ Rau President, Raymond Rau and Scott Lasch, Rau's national sales manager, estimated the liquidation will generate about $1.5 million in sales.
Rollins was established in 1956 by Clarence Rollins after the construction of Interstate 95 in central Maine put an end to his chicken farming business, Kevin Rollins said. Over five decades, the store grew to become a destination for midpriced and upper-end brands such as Braxton Culler, Durham, Flexsteel, Tempur-Pedic and Winners Only among others.
Rollins grew to three stores in the 1960s and 70s through the work of its founder and became known for quality furniture, fair prices and "family driven service," according to a release.
After 2000, the retailer closed two of its stores but retained the flagship location in Hallowell. Kevin Rollins, whose business interests beyond retail furniture include a property management business, cited the economic downturn of the past decade and health issues as deciding factors in closing the business.
No set plans have been announced for the 25,000-square-foot building and property, along with five other buildings on the site owned by Rollins, but he said they likely will be folded into his property management business.
