American Furniture Warehouse

Last updated
American Furniture Warehouse
Company typePrivately held
Industry Furniture retailer
Founded1898;128 years ago (1898) (as American Furniture Company)
1975;51 years ago (1975) (as American Furniture Warehouse)
Headquarters
Meridian, Colorado
,
United States
Number of locations
18 (10 in Colorado, 5 in Arizona & 3 in Texas)
Key people
Products Furniture, Bedding
OwnerJake Jabs
Website afw.com

American Furniture Warehouse (AFW) is a privately held furniture retailer headquartered in Meridian, an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. Initially founded in 1898 as the American Furniture Company in Denver, it went bankrupt in 1974. It was founded in its current form in 1975 by Jake Jabs [1] beginning operations in a former American Furniture Company store location at 58th Avenue and Bannock in Denver. [1]

Contents

Under the leadership of co-founder Samuel E. Kohn, the American Furniture Company had grown into the largest of its kind in the US by 1943. It had multiple locations within the state and eventually became a subsidiary of the St. Louis-based American National Stores, Inc. In 1974, the company closed its five stores in the state. Under new ownership and with Jabs as company president, the company was relaunched in 1975 as American Furniture Warehouse. By 1979, it had grown into one of the largest retailers in Colorado and, by 1984, one of the largest in the US. AFW has expanded to other locations, with stores in Arizona and Texas.

AFW and Jabs became known in Colorado for the company's advertising. Television commercials for AFW featured Jabs, sometimes accompanied by exotic animals such as tigers, bears, and monkeys. Some animals used in AFW commercials were seized and transferred from their trainer as part of a federal investigation into illegal trafficking of endangered animals. As of 2010, Jabs announced that AFW commercials featuring exotic animals were likely to cease airing due to an increase in restrictions.

History

American Furniture Company

Samuel E. Kohn, the founder of the American Furniture Company, 1928 Samuel E. Kohn, 1928.png
Samuel E. Kohn, the founder of the American Furniture Company, 1928

In 1898, the American Furniture Company was founded in Denver, Colorado, United States. [2] It was legally incorporated in the city in March 1900 by Samuel E. Kohn, S. M. Witz, and George A. Smith, with a valuation of $20,000 ($618,000 in 2024 [3] ). [4] Kohn, the son of the Jewish Denverite Isaac Kohn, worked in the business until his 1943 death. [5] He owned the business until he sold it in 1923 to the Chicago-based Hartman Company. Kohn bought the company back in 1930 and remained its president until his death. [6] In 1928, as president of the American Furniture Company, Kohn was among the Denver business leaders to establish a Better Business Bureau in the city. [7] By the time of Kohn's death, his company was the largest of its kind in the US. [8] Kohn's son, Robert S. Kohn, succeeded his father and ran the company until 1966. [6]

The company eventually expanded south and opened a location in Colorado Springs. There, another company named American Furniture Company was headquartered and operated. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in 1953 that both companies could continue their operations in the city despite the Colorado Springs firm's claims of harm to their business stemming from the shared name, with the court noting that the Colorado Springs company had instead benefited from the advertising by the Denver company. [9] In 1999, the southern American Furniture Company – then located in Pueblo  – ceased operations, citing confusion between the companies as among the reasons. [10]

By 1972, the Denver-based American Furniture Company was the oldest complete furniture store chain in Colorado and was a subsidiary of the St. Louis-based American National Stores, Inc. That year, under the Colorado general manager William V. Drake, American Furniture continued its expansion in the Denver market by leasing a 16,800-square-foot (1,560 m2) building on Colfax Avenue in Aurora. [11] [12] However, in October 1974, Drake announced that the American Furniture Company had filed for bankruptcy and that it would close all five of its Colorado locations, with its inventory transferred to the Public Acceptance Corporation. [13]

American Furniture Warehouse

In 1975, the company was relaunched by new owners as the American Furniture Warehouse Company (AFW). With Jacob "Jake" Jabs as its president, the company hoped to capitalize on the recent departure of furniture chains from other states. With the opening of its 5445 North Bannock Street location in Denver in June 1972, AFW had the largest furniture store in the state. [14] With this new start coming at the end of the 1973–1975 recession, Jabs – who already had experience in the furniture industry – tailored the business to a consumer base that had less money to spend and was more willing to buy generic products. [15] In 1978, AFW celebrated its 80th anniversary by announcing concerts by Johnny Rodriguez, Freddy Fender, Hank Thompson, and Tammy Wynette. [2] Billy Carter, a businessman and the brother of US president Jimmy Carter, also made an appearance for the AFW anniversary, part of his efforts to financially benefit from his brother's presidency. When asked how much he was being paid to appear on behalf of AFW, Carter said it was "None of your damned business". [16]

AFW sponsored additional events with celebrities, such as with the musicians Jody Miller and Don Williams in 1979. [17] [18] Jabs engaged in a significant advertising drive for AFW, spending $700,000 in 1979 ($2.43 million in 2024 [3] ) on television commercials. In 1980, he estimated that AFW was running 240 television commercials a week in Colorado. As part of a trend of Colorado businessmen becoming public figures through their advertising, Jabs appeared in AFW's commercials in an open-necked shirt. Live animals – including a lion cub, tiger, or bear – would appear alongside Jabs in some commercials. In 1979, AFW had sales worth over $15 million ($52.1 million in 2024 [3] ), making one of the largest retail businesses in the state. [19]

The first satellite location of AFW opened in 1980, with the North Bannock location remaining the company's flagship location. By the time the 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) Fort Collins store Briarwood Furniture was purchased in 1982 as AFW's eighth location, AFW had stores in Boulder, Grand Junction, and Idaho. [20] By 1984, AFW was again among the largest furniture stores in the US. [8]

A 1983 commercial for AFW featured the character E.T. from the 1982 movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . The movie's director, Steven Spielberg, was on a skiing trip in Aspen, Colorado, when he saw the commercial. Neither Spielberg nor the owner of the character's rights, Universal Pictures, had given permission for E.T. to appear in the commercial. Jabs said he hoped that the matter was resolved when he wrote a letter to Universal explaining that he thought had permission, though a Universal spokesperson said that the company was investigating AFW for trademark infringement. [21]

Throughout the 1980s, AFW's advertisements drove business to the retailers in Denver's Furniture Row area on Denver's Bannock Street off north Broadway in the 1980s and 1990s. Of the more than 20 furnishing businesses on Furniture Row, AFW was the biggest advertiser for 17 years. By 1993, AFW was doing $60 million ($117 million in 2024 [3] ) in sales a year. However, as wealth moved away from the city towards Denver's suburbs, Furniture Row's retailers began to close or move. AFW was among them, with Jabs having the company break ground on a new 347,000-square-foot (32,200 m2) flagship store in Thornton in September 1993. The impending closure of AFW's Bannock Street location led to other retailers considering increasing their advertising or also moving to the suburbs. [22]

In 1985, a Yellowstone County, Montana, judge ruled that an AWF store in Montana could not operate using any combination of "American" or "furniture" in its name due to the prior presence of American Furniture Inc. in the state. Jabs attempted to appeal the decision, but the Montana Supreme Court denied his appeal. The subsequent 1986 closure of the Billings, Montana, location (which had been renamed to as the Jake Jabs Furniture Warehouse) cost the company $200,000 ($484,000 in 2024 [3] ). In the year prior to the Billings location closing, AWF had closed a location in southern Denver and another in Idaho. It was also preparing to close the two remaining stores in Idaho, with Jabs citing increased cost. [23]

Another effort to expand AFW's presence into Montana began with stores opening in 1988–1989 in Bozeman and Billings. [24] AFW's presence in Montana ended in 1999 when the company closed both stores there, with the company releasing a statement that it wanted to focus on its profits in the Colorado market. The company reported that the Coloradan stores' business had increased 25 percent each year for the preceding five years. Jabs is a native of Montana and, following AFW's withdrawal from Montana, he retained ownership of Yellowstone Furniture Manufacturing Company, which was headquartered in the state. [25]

In the 1990s, AFW opened a 112,000-square-foot (10,400 m2) store in Colorado Springs. [25] The exterior design of this store follows the mountain theme of a nearby noise barrier on the highway I-25, for which it was criticized in 2001 by Cara DeGette of the Colorado Springs Independent as among the city's eyesores. [26] In 1996, a new AFW store north of County Line Road was part of a growing commercial district in Arapahoe County and Douglas County near the recently constructed Park Meadows mall. [27] The city of Lone Tree lost out on potential tax revenue from that AFW location due to its high standards for incoming businesses, with AFW opting instead for a location inside the Centennial Promenade development in Centennial. [28] [29] According to the furniture industry weekly magazine Furniture Today , AWF had the 24th highest sales among American furniture companies in 2000. That year, the company recorded $275 million ($475 million in 2024 [3] ) in furniture sales and $275.7 million ($476 million in 2024 [3] ) in total revenue. [30] The Centennial location closed in 2020, leaving ten Colorado locations. [31]

During the 21st century, AFW expanded into Arizona, with two Arizona store open by 2020. [32] [31] A third store in the Phoenix metropolitan area had opened in late 2022, with the company announcing that year that it had plans of acquiring a building to host a fourth area store. [32] In 2018, AFW acquired two properties in the Houston suburbs to construct its first stores in Texas. Among these was a 52-acre property upon which the company planned to construct a 855,000-square-foot (79,400 m2) store. [33] The first of the Texan AFWs had opened by 2020. [31]

In 2011, AFW purchased land in Colorado Springs to construct a second store. However, the property remained undeveloped for years. [34] Building permits for the construction of the location in the city's northeastern area were issue in September 2025, with construction beginning that month. [35] The project to built the 345,000-square-foot (32,100 m2) store is expected to cost $45 million and the store is expected to employ 250 people. [36]

Jackie Brookshire, one of Jabs's daughters, succeeded her father as company president in 2020, with Jabs remaining AWF's CEO. [37] [38] As of November 2025, the 95-year-old Jabs was still AFW's CEO, with Brookshire still the company president. [38] As of May 2025, after 50 years since being reconstituted under Jabs, AWF operated 18 locations in Colorado, Arizona, and Texas. [39] The current AFW corporate headquarters is located at 8820 American Way in Meridian, an unincorporated community in Douglas County near E-470. [31] [40]

Exotic animals

AFW's television advertisements were known for featuring exotic animals, particularly tigers, with Jabs, [41] becoming part of the public's perception regarding the company and Jabs. [42] [43] According to Jab's personal secretary Barbara Brown in 1981, the animals' presence in AFW's commercials had drawn criticism from some viewers but had become popular with others. An editor at the newspaper The Rocky Mountain News expressed her affinity for the commercials, saying "At least Jabs' advertising is not phony, done by phony people". [44]

In 1982, federal charges were filed against Sidney J. Yost, the animal trainer who trained the animals that had been featured in AFW's advertisements. The six charges alleged that Yost had illegally purchased and trafficked endangered animals. [45] The animals in Yost's possession – which included Siberian tigers, lions, bears, wolves, and other animals – were transferred to the care of the Colorado Human Society. Some of those animals had previously appeared in AFW's commercials. [46] Following the 2003 tiger attack on Siegfried & Roy's Roy Horn, there were new limitations on the use of exotic animals in the US. Jabs said in 2010 that these limitations had restricted AFW to using previous stock footage of tigers for new advertisements and that the exotic animals could be removed from AFW's commercials in the future. [41]

References

  1. 1 2 "The History of American Furniture Warehouse" . Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Concerts planned by furniture firm". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 120, no. 84. Denver. July 15, 1978. p. 85 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  4. ↑ "New Incorporations". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 41, no. 72. Denver. March 13, 1900. p. 8 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  5. ↑ "Justina Ford House". Colorado Encyclopedia . History Colorado . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Kohn House. National Register of Historic Places. June 15, 2005. p. 8.
  7. ↑ "Sounding Death Knell for Crooks in Denver". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 69, no. 68. Denver. March 8, 1928. p. 3 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  8. 1 2 Ittelson, Lane (May 9, 1984). Justina Ford House. National Register of Historic Places. p. 3.
  9. ↑ "Furniture Firm Can Use Its Name In Colo. Springs". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 94, no. 230. Denver. August 18, 1953. p. 35 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  10. ↑ Pitts, Gail (February 18, 1999). "Furniture store to close". The Pueblo Chieftain . Pueblo, CO . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  11. ↑ "American Furniture opening". The Aurora Star Sentinel . Vol. 63, no. 4. Aurora, CO. January 26, 1972. p. 7 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  12. ↑ "American Furniture announces new Aurora store". The Aurora Advocate. Vol. 25, no. 12. February 2, 1972. p. 26 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  13. ↑ "American Furniture to close all five stores in Colorado". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 116, no. 163. Denver. October 2, 1974. p. 100 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  14. ↑ "American Furniture Warehouse Co. Colorado's largest furniture store holding grand opening". The Journal-Sentinel. Vol. 30, no. 27. Westminster, CO. June 12, 1975 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  15. ↑ Hutto, Lexi (2012) [1992]. "Case 22: American Furniture Warehouse Sources Globally". In Levy, Michael (ed.). Retailing Management (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 565–566. ISBN   9780073530024. LCCN   2010048858 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ "Bearers of two famous names visit in Denver". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 120, no. 126. August 26, 1978. p. 5 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  17. ↑ "Star in Denver". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 120, no. 265. Denver. January 12, 1979. p. 5C – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  18. ↑ "Top country singer here". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 120, no. 312. Denver. February 28, 1979. p. 5C – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  19. ↑ McGovern, Tim (September 21, 1980). "Businessmen also TV stars". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 122, no. 152. Denver. p. 40 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  20. ↑ "Jabs buys furniture firm". Vol. 124, no. 216. November 24, 1982. p. 57 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  21. ↑ "Spielberg jabs Jake". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 92, no. 268. October 12, 1983. p. 22 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  22. ↑ Ferraro, Cathleen (September 3, 1993). "Furniture Row feels pull as stores move to suburbs". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 135, no. 134. Denver. p. 63A – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  23. ↑ Mayer, Kimberly (April 9, 1986). "Jabs raps judge for failure of Billings furniture outlet". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 127, no. 352. p. 68 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  24. ↑ Lutey, Tom (October 6, 1999). "American Furniture leaving town". Bozeman Daily Chronicle . Bozeman, MT . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Furniture chain to concentrate on Colorado". The Denver Post . Denver. 1999. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  26. ↑ DeGette, Cara (July 4, 2001). "Urban Blight Awards: That's Ugly! The Independent tags a handful of Colorado Springs' most egregious eyesores". Colorado Springs Independent . Colorado Springs, CO. ProQuest   363166147.
  27. ↑ Duffy, Jim (September 25, 1996). "'Tribe' headed to World Series again?". Douglas County News-Press. Vol. 104, no. 74. Castle Rock, CO. p. 4A – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  28. ↑ Reuter, Jane (December 10, 2011). "The rise of Lone Tree". coloradocommunitymedia.com. Colorado Community Media. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  29. ↑ Fetter, Rosemary (2016). From Stage Trail to Light Rail: The Dynamic Denver South Corridor. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company Publishers. p. 104. ISBN   9781578649945.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 furniture stores". Furniture Today . November 26, 2001. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "American Furniture Warehouse store changes hands". coloradocommunitymedia.com. Colorado Community Media. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  32. 1 2 Jensen, Audrey (June 29, 2022). "Popular furniture retailer eyes West Valley for expansion in Phoenix metro". Phoenix, AZ . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  33. ↑ Smith, Cara (July 2, 2018). "New-to-Texas furniture co. closes on 52 acres, plans 855K SF development". Houston Business Journal . Houston . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ "American Furniture Warehouse still planning a second Springs store". Colorado Springs Gazette . Colorado Springs, CO. March 21, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2026– via The Denver Post.
  35. ↑ Edwards, Alexander (September 29, 2025). "American Furniture Warehouse to open second Colorado Springs location". Colorado Springs Gazette . Colorado Springs, CO . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  36. ↑ Keith, Tony (September 29, 2025). "American Furniture Warehouse opening a 2nd location in Colorado Springs". Colorado Springs, CO: KOAA-TV . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  37. ↑ Slaughter, Powell (May 20, 2020). "American Furniture Warehouse taps Brookshire as president". Furniture Today . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  38. 1 2 Soenke, Sarah (November 18, 2025). "Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship Celebrates Namesake's 95th Birthday". jakejabscenter.org. University of Colorado Denver . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  39. ↑ Lester, Thomas (April 17, 2025). "Still growing: AFW celebrating 50th anniversary, newest store". Furniture Today . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  40. ↑ Boulard, Garry (October 3, 2025). "Massive New American Furniture Warehouse Location Set for Construction in Colorado Springs". Construction Reporter. Albuquerque, NM . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  41. 1 2 Wineke, Andrew (September 29, 2010). "Jake Jabs: No more tigers, stop ticking off China" . Colorado Springs Gazette . Colorado Springs, CO . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  42. ↑ Lewis, Stephany (March 3, 1998). "The Inquisitor". The Oredigger. Golden, CO: Colorado School of Mines – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  43. ↑ Cole, Joe (April 28, 2015). "Guitars and tigers and furniture, oh my: Behind the scenes with Jake Jabs". fox21news.com. Colorado Springs, CO: KXRM-TV . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  44. ↑ Brown, Barbara (May 3, 1981). "In defense of Jake Jabs' animal commercials". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 123, no. 11 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  45. ↑ "Wild-animal trainer named in 6 counts". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 123, no. 343. Denver. March 31, 1982. p. 17 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  46. ↑ Gerharot, Gary (April 2, 1982). "Human Society inherits animals". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 123, no. 345. Denver. p. 7 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
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