Rolesville Furniture to close, citing Main Street project

ROLESVILLE — A furniture store that's been located downtown for more than 40 years is preparing to close, citing Rolesville's Main Street project as its reason.

Owner Kevin Eddins made the difficult decision last week to avoid business losses he said the construction would cause.

The Main Street Project will bring about $9 million in improvements to Main Street, including bringing 42 curbs up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, widening streets and adding medians.

Eddins said the improvements will also bring the construction zone directly to the store's front door and close the intersection of Young and Main streets. Rolesville Furniture sits at that corner.

"The biggest impact to us is when we found out their plan for construction is complete intersection closure," Eddins said. "There's really no way to stay in business. There's no other option but for us to close the doors through that construction period. Nobody will be able to get to us."

Rolesville plans to make the improvements over 60 days, according to Town Manager Kelly Arnold. The start date hasn't been decided yet, but Arnold expects it to be during the summer when school isn't in session.

Eddins said the town has been in constant contact with him and other businesses throughout the project. He even suggested alternatives to make it easier for him to stay in business.

The town also plans to take a portion of the store's parking lot, Eddins said. A lot of the furniture store's existing parking is located in the N.C. Department of Transportation right of way, according to Wake County property records. The project will include parking that is "equivalent in number of spaces," according to Arnold.

Eddins said he looked at the possibility of moving to a new location in Rolesville, but he couldn't find a place with enough square footage that was also reasonably priced.

Rolesville is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the state, and it's experiencing real estate prices roughly equivalent to the rest of Wake County.

Eddins doesn't have a date for when he'll close the doors. He does a lot of special orders and wants to make sure all of that furniture gets to people first.

"We live in this community and will continue to live here after Rolesville Furniture is closed," Eddins said. "We want to do this the right way, and we want to do it on our own terms."

He also wanted to give employees a chance to find new jobs before the store closes and while the job market is hot.

Rolesville Furniture was founded in 1980 by Eddins' grandfather, Herbert, and father, Rick. It began as a flea market in an old mule stable on Young Street.

"They started just by selling flea market goods," Eddins said. "As a kid, I grew up going to yard sales on the weekends with my dad and my grandfather. It was a highlight of the weekend for me."

The Eddinses would sell used furniture at the flea market, Eddins remembered. Their customers started asking for new furniture, and Rick began taking Eddins to High Point on the weekends to purchase it.

"We'd load up my mom's minivan with furniture, bringing it back and sell it," Eddins said. "By the time I was in high school, my dad had a box truck we'd bring up there. Right around that time, they'd get whole 18-wheeler truckloads."

Eddins said getting to spend time with his father and grandfather was the best part of the business. His grandfather, Herbert, was highly influential in his life.

"Every night after closing the furniture store, I'd walk over to the flea market and just sit in my grandfather's office," he recalled. "Every single day, I'd walk over there and sit with him for just a few minutes at the end of the day. There's not many people who get to say they saw their grandfather every day until his last days."

The flea market was Herbert's baby. After he died, the Eddins family tore down the old flea market and constructed the new building that's across the street from the fire department now. The whole store occupies 3 acres, he said.

"We've been very thankful for the community for supporting us like they have all these years," Eddins said. "Without them, we wouldn't have been successful."

For more information about Rolesville Furniture and its closing sale, visit www.RolesvilleFurniture.com. To learn more about the Main Street project, including its two mixed-use developments, visit www.bit.ly/3xCKTSL.