By Karen Brune Mathis, [email protected]
A well-known established Westside business, Mary’s Wholesale Furniture, changed hands last month and the new owners said they will do what Mary Combs did and also resume more importing.
“We’re going to do the same thing Mary has been doing,” said Sam Kassab, who bought the business with his wife, Rola, and brother, Tony.
Kassab Wholesale Furniture Inc. bought the business at 5062 W. Beaver St.
The Kassabs, who own other retail businesses and real estate, said they would resume importing furniture and add more chandeliers and rugs. They intend to make improvements to the 16,000-square-foot store.
They said Combs remains as a consultant.
The Kassabs were customers of the store. Sam Kassab said Tony Kassab “came in to buy a sofa and ended up buying the business.” They’ve been working on the deal about two months, they said.
The Kassabs said they will import from the Philippines, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Egypt. Customers also can order “anything they see” on the Internet, from magazines or elsewhere, said the Kassabs, saying they work with 75 manufacturers.
They said they also would sell wholesale.
Improvements should start within 60-90 days, they said.
The business, 5 miles west of Downtown, operates 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The Kassabs said after the improvements, hours probably will change to 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and possibly 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
The store offers furniture, artwork, lamps, clocks, centerpieces, rugs, chandeliers, curio display cabinets and other furnishings.
State corporate records show that Mary’s Oriental Imports Inc. was registered with the state in 1996 by Mary Combs. Its name changed to Mary’s Imports Inc. and it does business as Mary’s Wholesale Furniture.
By 2000, it operated at 597 Edgewood Ave. S. It expanded there before moving about a mile north to the current location. The new address was reflected in a January 2007 corporate filing.
Duval County Clerk of Court records show Kassab Wholesale Furniture bought the property Aug. 13 for $500,000 from Mary and Phillip Combs as co-trustees of the Combs Family Revocable Trust.