ABOUT CONNELL’S

What do a fireman and a motorcycle mechanic know about decorating your home? …..Plenty!

When Don Connell started selling used furniture in downtown Mount Vernon in 1957, he was a full-time fireman and part-time janitor just trying to make ends meet for his family. His only prior experience was an after-school job at Eckenrode’s Furniture during high school.

Don’s father, Harvey Connell, manned the store, called City Furniture, while Don worked 24-hour shifts at the fire station or cleaned their local church on weekends. Don’s wife, Helen, soon brought her intuitive sense of interior decorating and flair for fashion to the company.

Having moved into the now-closed Eckenrode’s location, Don and Helen were ready to begin selling new home furnishings and enter the business full time in 1970. As a sophomore, Ed Connell remembers the day his parents sat the family down and explained that things were about to change. “We were prepared to scrimp and save to make it happen, but we didn’t have much anyway!” Ed recalls.

Helen’s rare talent for design and Don’s passion for quality resulted in amazing growth for the company, now called “Connell’s Furniture.” Their sales doubled every year as customers invited Helen into their homes for personal decorating advice, and the Connell’s touch quickly became the must-have mod in Mount Vernon!

Backed by a business degree from Ashland University and a lifetime spent hanging around furniture stores, Ed joined his dad in the mid-70’s. Ed and his Dad worked closely together, fine-tuning the operation that today supports over thirty employees and their families. Connell’s commitment to providing a place to make a good living and giving back to the community are cornerstones of their business philosophy.

You’ll still see traces of Connell’s history in the way they do business today. NO OOPS™ was Don Connell’s way of making sure every customer left happy and stayed happy. Their history, experience and reputation for knock-your-socks-off service have made Connell’s a fresh brand that goes head to head with nationwide big-box retailers.

Fast forward three generations (technically four, counting Harvey), and Don’s grandson, Curt, has opened the newest Connell’s store in Newark, Ohio. You know, Curt – the motorcycle mechanic? Curt followed his dreams and became certified by one of the best schools in the country, only to find his passion was back home in a furniture store.

“He just took it and ran with it,” Ed says of Curt. “He’s ready. I can tell it, I can sense it, I can see it. It’s the most exciting thing for me, to see my son involved in the business.”

“We just try to do a good job every day for someone other than ourselves,” Curt responds. As Vice President, Curt is the brainpower and the manpower behind Connell’s nationwide online strategy and he oversees Connell’s two store locations in Mount Vernon and Newark, Ohio.

“It’s not e=mc2 or anything. It’s just what you do. Every day you wake up, put on your shoes and go to the store. I just try to do things a little differently: offer more choices, more selection, the best product we can find. I keep a constant look out for our customers.”

“I just sit back as a proud father and say, ‘Well done, son. Well done.’” Says Ed. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about the memories.”

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Ed President

Curt Vice President

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