After attracting Plant City customers to her Lakeland location, All American Furniture owner Bonnie Evans began to consider opening a store in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
She found the perfect spot off East Baker Street while driving through town one day.
“When I saw it, I made a U-turn to go back and look at it,” she said. “It just reminded me so much of our store in Lakeland. It was a wonderful fit.”
All American Furniture’s Plant City location welcomed its first customers in December with a soft opening and will celebrate its grand opening Jan. 19. The event will feature food and a live remote broadcast from Lakeland-based 97 Country WPCV.
All American Furniture is a family-owned and operated furniture and mattress factory/company that has served Lakeland and its surrounding areas since 1982. Evans’ father, Bud Stover, founded the company, and Evans has worked there since 1988. She took over the business when her father retired in 2004 and now runs it with her brother, Doug Stover.
Wanting to expand to another location for years, Evans said it just came down to the perfect opportunity. Although she admits it may not be the best time to open a store because of the economy, she felt the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“We love Plant City and love the hometown feel it has,” she said.
Evans said she even has shopped for supplies for the new office locally.
“We are a family-operated business that prides itself on promoting small business, and we hope we can continue to do that here in Plant City,” she said.
Evans and her husband, Perry, are familiar with the area. Perry, a cattle rancher, has been a competitor in Plant City’s Pig Jam for many years. His famous brisket took fourth place at the 2012 edition of the annual barbecue competition.
All American Furniture offers selections for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, including bunk beds, day beds and futons. The store also offers home accessories and decorative items.
In addition to the shop’s family-owned feel, Evans said her company believes in supporting the American economy. Ninety percent of its inventory is domestic.
“We’re adamant about supporting the U.S. economy, and a lot of our furniture comes from right here in Florida,” she said.
According to David Barger, one of Evans’ suppliers from Higdon Furniture, obtaining furniture domestically is no easy task.
“It’s quite a challenge to get furniture not made overseas,” Barger said.
The Lakeland location includes a state-of-the-art mattress factory. The mattresses are sold at the Plant City location.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.
All American Furniture
Address: 1312 E. Baker St.
Phone: (813) 752-9500
Email: Allamericanplc@gmail.com
Website: allamericanfurniturelakeland.com. AllAmericanPC.com will launch soon.