Art Van Furniture, PureSleep closing all stores, liquidation sales begin Friday

All Art Van Furniture and Art Van PureSleep stores will close, including those in the Chicago area, with liquidation sales beginning Friday, the company announced Thursday.

The Warren, Michigan-based furniture and bedding retailer is shutting down all of its stores in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio as a result of struggling sales, according to a company spokesman Diane Charles.

“Despite our best efforts to remain open, the company's brands and operating performance have been hit hard by a challenging retail environment,” she said.

AVF Holdings, Inc., which operates under the brand of Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors brands, has 24 stores in the Chicago area, including locations in Algonquin, Batavia, Deerfield, Downers Grove, Glendale Heights, Gurnee, Kildeer, Naperville, Schaumburg and Woodridge.

Other Eight Wolf Furniture stores in Maryland and Virginia also will be liquidated, the company said, while Levin & Wolf Furniture in Ohio and Pennsylvania will be sold to Robert Levin, pending court approval.

The retail chain was founded by Art Van Elslander, who opened his first furniture store in the Detroit area in 1959. It expanded into Illinois in 2013, investing $50 million into opening new stores in the state. The company was acquired in 2017 by Boston-based equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.