Despite drizzling rain, dozens lined up on the porch and outside Cherry House Furniture Galleries in La Grange clutching red admission tickets Wednesday, March 6 waiting for the store to open at 10 a.m. After 55 years, Cherry House in La Grange has announced it is closing.
The liquidation sale began March 6 and 7 for the store’s loyal customer base who received tickets by mail and social media. The sale opened to everyone starting Friday, March 7 and will run for six to eight weeks depending on how long it takes to sell everything, according to second-generation owner Steve Whitehouse.
The family-owned business, featuring home furnishings, gift items and holiday décor, was founded by Steve’s mom Shirley Whitehouse in 1969. “My mom started this when I was 9 years old,” said Steve, whose wife Leslie now serves as president of the business.
“This building has been added on to like five times but that little corner up there was the original location. The first customer that came in the door thought it was a restaurant. Mom had gifts and handmade furniture.”
Shirley’s husband, Jeep, was a builder. He built churches and houses, and all the buildings on the Cherry House property. He joined his wife in the family business and for the first eight years drove a truck delivering furniture as far away as Florida according to an Era article when he was named Oldham County Day grand marshal in 2000. Today at 93, Jeep still helps with property maintenance.
Cherry House was not the name Shirley first wanted to use for the store. “My mom wanted to name it ‘Carriage House’ but Ethan Allen, that’s what they called their stores. When we started, we sold one line of handmade {cherry} furniture from Campbellsville, Ky. so she started calling it Cherry House.”
Cherry House once had a store in Shelbyville and two in Louisville, but La Grange is where it began and where it will end.
Steve said a couple of reasons drove their decision. “It was just time. Our son has his career so there was no third generation to take it over.”
He also said shopping trends shifting to online played a part in their decision.
“I didn’t get emotional until they opened the doors,” Steve said about the large crowd waiting for them to open for the first day of the sale. “This is equivalent to what the Christmas show would have been back in the 70s with the number of cars in the parking lot.”
“Other than working at the Rollin Cone, which was the little ice cream place that the Doty’s owned up where the liquor store is now, that’s the only other job I’ve ever had.”
The family plans to keep the buildings and land but hopes to lease the buildings once they get them cleared out.
