From father to son to son ... Waltman Furniture serving community for nearly 70 years
From father to son, Chicora's Waltman Furniture Co. is a third-generation business.
Frank Waltman said his father, V.F. Waltman, started the company in 1951, and he began working among the sofas, chairs and tables at an early age. He took over for his father in 1982.
“You worked a lot of hours,” Waltman said.
Frank now works alongside his son, Ryan Waltman, who has now taken charge.
Ryan Waltman said he remembers when he and his father had that conversation on Christmas Eve five years ago.
He said his father was planning to retire, and he had been working elsewhere at the time.
“I told him not to sell the store. I'd be back in August. I don't think he believed me,” Ryan Waltman said. “I knew I couldn't let it go. It meant too much.”
He said he started working at the store when he was 12 years old, and he saw how much effort was needed to be successful.
“People come here because we work harder and give them more for their money,” Ryan said. “We do the little things.”
Frank Waltman said in the early days of the business, it had around $200,000 worth of inventory, but these days the inventory is valued at $2 million.
He said with the growth in inventory comes with a growth in risk, but his son keeps the customers at the forefront of his decision-making.
“He knows you have to treat the customer right. He's more patient than I am with that,” Frank Waltman said. “You have to look at things through the customer's eyes and he does that.”
Outside the business, which isn't often considering their workloads, both Waltmans said it can be difficult to go out as a family, but they have cookouts and get-togethers over the weekends.“We can't be away from the business together,” Frank Waltman said.“You can't pack up and take a family vacation,” Ryan Waltman said. “Someone's got to be here.”Ryan Waltman said he also appreciates the space he and his father give one another. He said they have different interests, and that's OK.“We're completely different people, even though we're the same person,” Ryan said, noting this is a joke he often tells people.The store has been open for nearly 70 years, and the legacy could continue.Ryan Waltman said if his children were interested in joining the family business, he would be open to it.“I never felt pressured by my dad or anyone else that I had to work here,” he said. “I would approach it much the same way.”Frank Waltman said he has watched the business grow since it originally opened, and he will watch it grow after he retires.He added that he believes his son is equipped to handle the future.“We've seen a lot of changes,” Frank said. “You just have to go with the change.”Waltman Furniture is located at 13584 State Route 422.
