JOHN DAY — A landmark Grant County retailer is preparing to close its doors for good.

Mosier’s Home Furnishings, which occupies a historic building at the intersection of Main Street and Canyon Boulevard in the heart of John Day’s downtown business district, began liquidating its inventory on Monday, Sept. 30.

The sale will run through the end of the year — or until there’s nothing left to sell.

“Everything’s going to have to eventually go,” said owner Dale Mosier, “at whatever price it takes to do it.”

There’s a lot to sell. With two stories plus a full basement, the 23,000-square-foot building that houses Mosier’s has everything you’d expect in a full-line furniture store — and then some. 

You’ll find rows of sofas and recliners, dining sets, mattresses and bedroom furniture, plus washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers — even woodstoves.

In business since 1955

The business was launched just down the street in 1955 as the Kitchen Center, an offshoot of John Day Hardware that sold home appliances. Dale’s father, Norris “Doc” Mosier, who worked for the hardware store, was put in charge of the operation.

The business grew and became a freestanding enterprise owned by Mosier and Art Thunnel Sr. In the early 1970s, Doc bought out his partner and moved Mosier’s Home Furnishings into its present location in the Johnson Bros. Building, which dates from 1902.

Dale Mosier started working at the family business in 1976 and took over the store when his dad stepped aside about 20 years later. 

Now, at age 67, the second-generation business owner says the time has come for him to retire. Mosier said he did the math and realized that his days were numbered — literally.

“You only get 36,500 if you live to be 100,” he said. “That’s pretty scary.”

Mosier had hoped to sell both the business and the building, but so far he has had no takers — which surprises him.

“We’re not closing due to a lack of business — there’s plenty of business, and the town would probably support whoever came in,” he said.

“It’s the only full-line furniture store clear to the Nevada border,” he added. “If somebody bought it, they could have this whole corner of the state.”

Mosier declined to give a specific asking price for either the business or the building, calling those numbers “a moving target” based on factors such as the amount of inventory on hand at the time of sale and the financial situation of the potential buyer.

“I would sell the business separately and lease the building favorably — under market — to get someone in here and on their feet,” he said.

A changing landscape

The furniture and appliance business has changed in countless ways in the 48 years he’s been in the trade, Mosier said.

For instance, while he has no brick-and-mortar competitors anywhere in Southeast Oregon, he does find himself competing with online retailers such as Amazon, direct-to-consumer marketers such as the Casper mattress company and home-improvement warehouse stores in Bend and Boise.

Many of today’s consumers, Mosier said, are laser-focused on price, failing to take into account the value he provides as a hometown retailer — things like decades of product knowledge, a well-stocked inventory, local delivery and installation service, and a willingness to haul off a customer’s unwanted furniture and appliances.

What will Mosier miss about running the store? The people who come through the doors.

“I’ve made tons of contacts, met tons of nice people,” he said.

“I have lots of loyal customers. There’s customers that if they bought furniture, appliances, woodstoves, they bought it from me — and their kids after that.”

What he won’t miss is the day-to-day pressure of running a business. 

“I’m not planning on leaving the area,” he said. “I have properties I would like to take care of, spend more time with my children.”

Also on Mosier’s to-do list: “Fall asleep in a hammock in the sun in the middle of the afternoon.”

Concerns for the future

While it’s still possible a buyer will come forward to take over Mosier’s Home Furnishings or open some other business in the historic Johnson Bros. Building, Grant County Chamber of Commerce Manager Tammy Bremner worries what will happen if that doesn’t materialize.

“We don’t have (another) furniture store,” she said. “I understand after 48 years people want to retire, but they will be missed.”

There’s also the impact of adding another vacant storefront to John Day’s downtown commercial strip, which already has a couple of holes after last year’s demolition of the fire-gutted Deline Building and the recent closure of the Grubsteak restaurant and bar. 

Add that to the impending shutdown of the Malheur Lumber mill, Bremner said, and you have a recipe for decline.

“Whenever we have empty buildings in downtown, it makes people nervous,” she said.

“I’m afraid we could see more and more of this in the future. It’s scary.”

WHAT: Mosier’s Home Furnishings

WHERE: 101 E. Main St., John Day

STAFF: Owner Dale Mosier, wife Shelly Mosier, bookkeeper/salesperson Christine Coyne and delivery/repairman Kory Marks

WHAT’S NEXT: Dale Mosier is retiring and has put the business and building up for sale, with plans to close by the end of the year

ETC.: Company founder Norris “Doc” Mosier’s name lives on in Mosier Field, a tee-ball and Little League baseball diamond at John Day’s seventh Street Sports Complex; Mosier, a big baseball fan, was instrumental in getting the park built