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| Barbara and Dale Catmull in their downtown Idaho Falls store. |
Since making the announcement Nov. 10, owners Dale and Barbara Catmull have astonished by the outpouring of loyalty from longtime customers. “They’ll say, ‘We bought our first sofa from you,’” Barbara said. “There are a lot of families where it’s been their tradition to buy here.”
The things people are saying, it feels like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” said Dale, 65, who who started helping his father, Dorsal “Doc” Catmull, when he was 12 years old. (Doc Catmull died in 2013.)
By price, Catmull’s has been able to compete all along. Because they own the building, their overhead is a lot lower, which meant they could pass savings along to the customers, said Dale.
“We have good quality stuff and free delivery, which you hardly see anymore,” said Barbara. “But things are changing. The younger generation thinks they can get better value at places like Furniture Row. It’s not true, but that’s what they think.
They hope to have the 15,000 square feet of space cleared out by mid-December. After that, they plan to visit their children and grandchildren and to sail the Erickson 34-200 sailboat they have moored in Alameda, Calif.
“It’s time to do something fun,” Barbara said. “We’ve got to do it while we still have our health.”
