Hammond's Furniture

  

Local Furniture Store Moving into its Fourth Generation

Hammond's Furniture has served the Olean area since 1953, when McKinley Hammond Sr. and his wife Nina Hammond decide to start selling used furniture and appliances.  Their grandson and current owner Jim Hammond said he has heard, "They started the business with one refrigerator and one washer, and it just grew from there."

Hammond's Furniture did indeed grow, and it now incorporates two locations, one in Olean, NY and the original building out in Westons Mills, NY.  Jim's grandparents started the company off selling mainly antiques and used furniture.  That business proved so successful for the Hammond family that they expanded their repertoire into selling new furniture back in the early 1980s as well.  They later expanded into the Olean building in the fall of 1993 because, according to Jim, they simply ran out of room at the original site.

The Westons Mills store stays true to its roots by exclusively offering used furniture and appliances still today.  Back in 2006, however, that location had actually shut down for almost a year when Jim's uncle, McKinley Hammond Jr., became ill and passed away.  Junior had asked Jim a favor while he visited him in the hospital before he died, requesting that he keep the store open to provide a source of income for Junior's wife, Elizabeth.

Therefore, Jim reopened the store and his son, Tim, now operates that location.  That brings the total up to four generations involved in the ownership and operation of Hammond's Furniture, which stands out as quite the rare accomplishment for a business.  Jim's father Bill Hammond had also helped Junior run the stores starting in the early 1980s.  Bill and his wife Shirley owned and operated the Olean store up until 2006, when she retired and passed the company over to Jim.

Many other members of Jim's family have involved themselves in keeping the business affairs running smoothly.  His sister Michelle VanSickle works for him at the Olean location.  According to Jim, she does a little bit of everything, including sales, orders, delivery scheduling and she mails out the payroll for the store as well.  Michelle basically helps Jim manage the store and she definitely offers him help with remembering important information.

Jim's two daughters, Angela and Jessica, do what they can to support the family business as well.  Angela works at the store one Saturday each month so she can stay connected to the family business, and she helps organize for the yearly Olean Home & Garden Show.  Michelle's children stop by and do what they can as well, whether that involves them vacuuming the floor or helping rearrange the store.

Outside of the family members who help out at the store, Hammond's Furniture's has another key employee by the name of Rick Rauber.  Rick has worked for the company since 2005 and has become a major asset for the company.  He does a little bit of everything as well, from driving the delivery truck to stocking the store and setting up displays.

When asked what sets their company apart from other local furniture stores, Jim said their pricing does.  They don't work on commission, which means they don't have to add that amount into the price.  That has enabled them to continue offering high-quality furniture at a price that the working-class customers can still afford.  Jim had this to say about the way they operate, "We go the extra mile."

Part of going the extra mile involves them still offering American-made products from various companies including Lane Furniture and Symbol Mattress.  They stock other brands as well, but Lane and Symbol serve as their main lines in the store.  Along with all the American made products, Jim and Michelle do offer some imported furniture as well.  This has resulted from the way the furniture market has evolved to where most companies no longer produce certain items in the United States.

Jim and his family would love to have you stop by, so check out the directions to their store, along with their business hours at the top of the page.

Oak TV Consoles

Cedar Chests

Recliners

Sofas

Dinette Sets

Drawer Chests

And Much More!

Hammonds Fitted Furniture Home Tour