CHANGING FURNITURE INDUSTRY

CLAIMING A BIG VICTIM IN OUR

STATE.ART VAN ANNOUNCING IT

WILL CLOSE ALL OF ITS STORES.

3

3

SUE:..THERE ARE SEVERAL SPREAD

OUT ACROSS WEST MICHIGAN --

EMPLOYING HUNDREDS.7 ART VAN

STORES AND 6 PURE SLEEP STORES.

LIQUIDATION SALES START

TOMORROW.BRIAN:..THE CLOSURES

ENDING DECADES OF MEMORIES

SINCE THE FIRST STORE OPENED

ON GRATIOT AVENUE IN DETROIT

IN 1959.

3

WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE.LYNSEY

MUKOMEL IS LOOKING AT THE

IMPACT THE STORE HAS HAD ON

WEST

MICHIGAN.SUE:..BUT WE START

LIVE WITH DONOVAN LONG AT THE

28TH STREET STORE IN GRAND

RAPIDS.

3

DONOVAN:..THE ANNUNCED CLOSURE

MET SEVERAL CUSTOMERS HERE

WITH SURPRISE. MANY OF THEM

TELLING ME IT'S BEEN THEIR

PRIAMRY SOURCE FOR FURNIHSING

THEIR HOMES--FOR DECADES.

3

ARDY FREY, CUSTOMER00;14;49- I

DO NOT LIKE THATTHE DAYS WHEN

ARDY FREY (FRIE) COULD SPEND

HOURS AT ART VAN FURNITURE ARE

COMING TO AN END.00;14;51-

(DON) HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN

SHOPPING HERE? (YOU'RE KIDDING-

OH MY OSH, WELL AS LONG AS ITS

BEEN HERE)A SPOKESPERSON FOR

ART VAN SAYS THE COMPANY WILL

CLOSE ITS DOORS FOR GOOD. THE

REASON? FINANCIAL TROUBLES AND

AN INABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH A

CHALLENGING RETIAL

ENVIRONMENT. (DIANE CHARLES

PHONER GRAPHIC)00;02;51- THIS

IS A VERY SAD DAY FOR ART VAN

IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, FOR

DECADES, WE HAVE BEEN IN

PEOPLE'S HOMES AND NOW WE

WON'T BE.THE CLOSURE IS

IMPACTING THIRTY ON HUNDRED

EMPLOYEES AND COUNTLESS

CUSTOMERS LIKE FREY (FRIE).

00;15;04;01

3

(SIGHS) I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT

TO SAY. IT'S SO SAD!(KIM

LIVINGSTON)00;17;34- I GOT A

LOT OF MY ADULT FURNUTURE HERE

KIM LIVINGSTON MAY BE GETTING

MORE. AS IT BECOMES A THING OF

THE PAST--ART VAN STORES WILL

HOLD A LIQUIDATION SALE

STARTING TOMRROW--GIVING

CUSTOMERS A FINAL CHANCE TO

SHOP. (LIVINGSTON)00;17;40-

(DON- YOU THINK YOU'LL BE BACK

FOR THAT?) UH, PROBABLY. MAYBE

SOME NEW PATIO FURNITURE.ááUSE

WIND BLOWING THROUGH ART AN

FLAGAS MEMORIES OF ART VAN

START BLOWING IN THE WIND,

SHOPPERS REFECT ON THE

COMPANY'S INLFUCNECE ON THEM

AND THEIR HOMES(ADRY DREY)

00;15;37- I LOVE THE FUNRITURE.

3

DONOVAN:..

3

AS OF NOW--ART VAN FURNITURE

OPERATES 200 STORES IN SEVERAL

MIDWEST STATED AND IN IOWA,

PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINA AND

MARYLAND. THE MAN WHO FOUNDED

THE COMPANY--ART VAN ELSLANDER

PASSED AWAY--TWO YEARS AGO.

LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS D LO NEWS

8.

3

SUE:..

3

IN ADDITION TO STORES AROUND

THE STATE -- ART VAN INVESTED

INTO WEST MICHIGAN

PROJECTS.BRIAN:..NEWS 8'S

LYNSEY MUKOMEL CONTINUES OUR

COVERAGE WITH A LOOK AT THE

COMPANY'S PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT.

3

LYNSEY:..EVERYONE LOOKS

FORWARD TO THE ART VAN SANTA

PARADE IN GRAND RAPIDS DURING

THE HOLIDAYS.THE COMPANY ALSO

HAS NAMING RIGHTS TO THE ART

VAN SPORTS COMPLEX IN

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP.IT'S NOT

YET CLEAR WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO

BOTH STAPLES OF WEST MICHGAN.

3

áSANTA PARADE NATSáFOR 10

YEARS -- ART VAN HAS SPONSORED

THE SANTA PARADE -- WHICH

KICKSTARTS THE HOLIDAY SEASON

FOR THE GRAND RAPIDS AREA.NEWS

8 HAS HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF

BROADCASTING THE SPIRIT

INJECTED INTO MONROE AVENUE

DOWNTOWN EVERY YEAR. THE GRAND

RAPIDS JAYCEES HAS ORGANIZED

THE WEST MICHIGAN TRADITION

FOR AN ENTIRE CENTURY -- BUT

ART VAN JOINED AS A TITLE

SPONSOR IN 20-10 TO BRING EVEN

MORE HOLIDAY SPIRIT TO THE

EVENT.

3

THEN IN 2014 -- THE FURNITURE

COMPANY ENTERED INTO A NAMING

RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE

WEST MICHIGAN SPORTS

COMMISSION FOR THE ART VAN

SPORTS COMPLEX IN PLAINFIELD

TOWNSHIP.010205 WHEN THE

FAMILY OWNED IT WAS WHEN WE

ENGAGED IN HAVING THEM COME

ABOARD THEY HAD BEEN DOING

SOME WORK IN WESTERN MICHIGAN

AND CONNECTING WITH THE

COMMUNITY AND REALLY SAW THIS

AS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BE

PRESENT IN WEST MICHIGANSPORTS

COMMISSION PRESIDENT MIKE

GUSWILER TOLD NEWS 8 IT'S NOT

YET CLEAR WHAT THE CLOSURE

MEANS.010421 FIRST OF ALL WE

HAVE TO SEE WHERE OUR

AGREEMENT GOES WITH ART CAN IN

LIGHT OF THEIR BANKRUPTCY AND

LIQUIDATION AND ONCE WE

DETERMINE THAT WE'LL START TO

MAKE SOME DETERMINATIONS ON

WHERE WE MOVE FORWARD 36 THE

COMPLEX ITSELF -- 41 IT WON'T

BE IMPACTED BY ART VAN'S

CURRENT DECISION AND WHERE

THEY'RE HEADED 50 IT'S A

COMPLEX THAT'S AN ASSET IN THE

COMMUNITY AND YOU KNOW SHOULD

WE BE IN SEARCH FOR ANOTHER

NAMING RIGHTS PARTNER IRS

SOMETHING OUR BOARD WILL

DETERMINE AND THEN WILL MAKE

STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS

3

LYNSEY:..

3

I REACHED OUT TO THE JAYCEES

TODAY ABOUT THE IMPACT THIS

MAY HAVE ON THE PARADE --

UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NOT HEARD

BACK.GUSWILER DIDN'T THINK IT

WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO SHARE

HOW MUCH ART VAN INVESTED INTO

THE SPORTS COMPLEX -- SO WE DO

HAVE A REQUEST INTO THE

COMPANY -- BUT ALSO HAVE NOT

RECEIVED A RESPONSE.