Roberds

[Ameskid]

Roberds was an Ohio-based chain of furniture and appliance stores.  Roberds Inc. was founded by Kenneth Fletcher, Donald Wright, Howard Smith and Howard Robbins in the early 1970s.  They purchased the defunct Roberds furniture store chain in West Carrollton (outside of Dayton), Ohio, and quickly worked on making it profitable again. Their efforts were a huge success.

Throughout the late '70s and 1980s, Roberds stores operated in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. By 1990, Roberds had six stores in GA, at least two in Ohio, one in Indiana, and five stores in Florida (two of which were acquired from other companies).

From 1990 to 1992, Roberds stopped expansion and focused on increasing profits, which resulted in double the income for the two years' period.  In November 1993, Roberds began its IPO with rousing success, allowing them to add even more locations and redesign stores into an "open" format, which opened up the possibility for customers to purchase entire showcases worth of merchandise.

The turning point for Roberds stores would come in the middle of the 1990s, right after a "gigastore" - nearly six acres in size and named "Roberds Grand" - was opened in Springdale, Ohio, near Cincinnati.  After this, a number of unavoidable factors, and a sexual harassment lawsuit, it was all downhill for Roberds.  By 2000, the 15 remaining stores in the chain (all located in Dayton, OH and Atlanta, GA) had closed.

The Roberds Grand megastore in Springdale served as at least two different furniture stores before recently becoming a thriving indoor go-karting facility.

[Ameskid]

One commercial for Roberds...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XgyVm6n3bA

...and another for Roberds Grand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LWWSPNqmXI

(Note the clever reuse of "kids carrying a mattress in a delightful and lighthearted manner" footage.)