LAVALE: Burkey’s Furniture, a family-run business that has been operating in Allegany County for almost 80 years, may shortly close its doors forever. Oct. 10 is the start of a going-out-of-business sale. Since 1947, Burkey’s Furniture has offered home furnishings to its clients.
Since her husband John passed away in 2019, Kathy Burkey, the owner and daughter-in-law of the company’s founders, Ed and Mary Burkey, has dedicated her life to managing the enterprise. After the liquidation auction is finished, she intends to retire.
Relocating company to a new location
“Over the past 77 years, it has been an honor to furnish the homes of so many families,” she remarked. “My family and I are incredibly appreciative of all of our devoted employees and devoted customers.”
North Centre Street in Cumberland was the site of Burkey’s Furniture’s original storefront opening 77 years ago. The store’s initial inventory consisted mostly of appliances and televisions. Ed and Mary Burkey relocated the company to a new, larger location in LaVale after eight years in the city.
The store changed from selling appliances to providing a variety of furnishings and mattresses throughout the course of the following ten years. In 1965, the business underwent another expansion and moved to its current site at 900 National Highway.