Batavia's Hubbard's to shutter after 101 years
Hubbard's Ethan Allen Gallery, which at 101 years is Batavia's oldest downtown business, will close before the end of the year because its owner is retiring.
“It was a very difficult decision,” owner Bob Hubbard said. “It's a retirement sale. We're not being put out of business. It's just a decision I knew I had to make at some point.”
Beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 24, Hubbard and his staff will begin a final sale at the 12,500-square-foot showroom at 16 N. Batavia Ave.
In 1910, Hubbard's grandfather G. Edmund Hubbard and his brother-in-law, Charlie Johnson, bought a general store that sold home furnishings.
They changed the name to Hubbard and Johnson and focused on home decor, selling furniture, paint, wallpaper, windows and window shades. In 1947, Edmund's three sons, Warren, Paul and Jim, bought out Johnson's interest in the store and renamed it Hubbard's Home Furnishings.
In 1969, the store decided to exclusively sell Ethan Allen products, becoming Hubbard's Ethan Allen Gallery. Paul and Jim's sons, Bob and Ron, bought the store in 1984.
Bob Hubbard said he grew up around the furniture store and learned from his dad to treat customers fairly and be part of the community.
“When you're raised in the business, you see how people are served and treated with fairness and kindness and empathy and going the extra mile to see that people are satisfied,” he said. “When you have a legacy and live in the community, it sets a different standard in terms of expectations and service you want to deliver.”
Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, who graduated high school with Bob Hubbard, said the business will be missed.
“It's a very sad day in Batavia. The Hubbard family and Bob, the current owner, have been stalwart business people in our town,” the mayor said. “I'm sorry to see them go. They're going to leave a big void in our community.”
Bob Hubbard expects the store to close by mid-December and he plans to sell the building as well.
The closing will put his 10 full-time employees out of work, but he said they are a talented crew that will land on their collective feet.
The 62-year-old Hubbard, who lives in Batavia with his wife Kathryn, a second-grade teacher at H.C. Storm Elementary School, said his retirement will allow him to spend more time with his grandchildren and volunteer in the community.
For example, he serves as president of the board of directors for the LivingWell Cancer Resource Center in Geneva.
“It's going to be a change for me,” he said of retirement. “I've never known anything else. I really love doing this.”
Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.