By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

Filacheck’s Furniture has been serving the needs of the community for nearly 70 years. Now, the time has come for its owners to plan their retirement.

It’s really the end of an era for the owners of Filacheck’s, and many long-time customers and friends are stopping by to say good-bye to Bob and Deb Filacheck—and to pick up a bargain.

According to Ethel Day, who has been employed at the store for 27 years, customers have always trusted Filacheck’s Furniture for their quality.

“I will miss working here and customers will miss the quality of the furniture they can buy here,” Day said.

The community has trusted Filacheck’s Furniture to deliver quality furniture and the customer always had a variety of choices in fabric and design to choose from.

On one recent Sunday morning, the store at 343 East Baltimore Pike in West Grove was quickly filling with customers shortly after opening for the day when some of the family members talked about the planned retirement.

Bob and Deb Filacheck will be staying close to the community that they have served for so many years, but as grandson Chase said, “We’re going to the beach more.”

Deb Filacheck confirmed that and said that they were anxious to spend more time at the beach and with their grandsons.

Bob Filacheck recalled working for Filacheck’s when his uncle still owned it. Back then, the store was located on Route 202 at the state line. He and his wife have been married for 52 years and they have done nothing but work in the furniture business that entire time.

“We’ve worked together for 52 years and we’re still happily married,” he said.

They do plan to move into a retirement community, but they are still deciding on which one. He is happy to have his children and grandchildren living close by.

Bob said he has no hobbies yet and joked that his wife tells people that “she will farm me out to anyone that needs help.”

Bob said, “The lord has been good to us. We will give back. I may take a little side job or do some volunteer work. We will get more involved in church and maybe some local organizations. I don’t think my body is going to let me sleep in.”

The Filachecks have a place at the shore at Cape May. They are both from Cape May and, as Bob tells it, they met at a department store. He was a stock boy and she was a candy girl. They expect to travel locally, but they will miss the people that they served.

“I enjoyed what we did,” he said. “We always had fun. We are both pranksters. We always wanted our customers to feel comfortable. We didn’t pressure anyone. Most people would come in 4 to 5 times before they made a purchase. We felt we were very fortunate to have a successful store. We will miss our customers but I know we will find new adventures.”

The Filachecks plan to stay in the business into December or January. They are still doing special orders for the next couple weeks and items will be sold off the floor. 

Bob said that they have no regrets. 

“When we started, we worked five nights a week until 9,” he explained. “We did see our customer base changing.”

Bob added, “I’m proud that our furniture was all North American products. We had 1000 fabrics to choose from. Some customers could design their furniture. Our customers were 45 or older. We worked with a lot of residents from retirement communities. They weren’t afraid of good quality.” 

One thing is sure—the community will miss the Filacheck family and Filacheck’s Furniture. They will be a hard act to follow. Times have changed the way that people shop for furniture, but the community will miss the quality and choices available at Filacheck’s.

Bob reminded everyone, “We will be here until December or January. For a stress-free experience, stop in. Before you buy furniture, check Filacheck’s.”

For more information, you can reach the store at 610-869-3351 or visit the website at filachecksfurniture.com.