In its heyday, the area now known as the Neon District in central Norfolk had a variety of furniture stores.
Almost all of them have disappeared, and on December 31, Virginia Furniture Co. will join the list. After 86 years, the family-owned and operated store is holding a going-out-of-business sale.
First cousins Jeff and David Laibstain, second-generation owners and ages 64 and 69 respectively, have decided it’s time to retire.
“We’ve worked pretty much six days a week for 40 years,” David Laibstain said. “And you know, Sunday goes by pretty quickly.”
The men inherited the business from their parents, Leonard and Harry Laibstain, who started the business together as teenagers in 1939.
Times were tough in the 1930s and early 1940s and they were looking for a good life. After the business got up and running, Leonard took some business-related college courses. Harry, a talented trumpet player, also made money playing alongside other players of the swing era.
The Laibstain brothers opened the business in their home in the Berkley section before settling into their first brick-and-mortar location on Church Street. The rent was 25 dollars a month.
In 1964, they moved the business near the old Downtown Plaza on St. Paul’s Boulevard. And in 2005, Virginia Furniture Co. made its final move to the corner of Granby Street and Olney Road. All moves were made within a one-mile radius as the store gradually increased its footprint.
From the beginning, the brothers traveled together to and from the store six days a week. They worked side by side and ate lunch in the store’s dining room.
Leonard Laibstain, Jeff’s father, worked in the business for 80 years. The pandemic forced him to retire and he died in 2023 at the age of 98. The recliner where he enjoyed many midday naps still occupies a prominent place in the store.
Harry Laibstain, David’s father, worked until he was 91. He died in 2012 from pancreatic cancer.
“I think they were probably the closest brothers on the planet,” David Laibstain said. “And they made a great team.”
Many say the same about Jeff and David Laibstain. Often mistaken for brothers, the two boast that they, like their parents, never argued.
They joined the family business in 1986 and, after dedicating their time, earned the respect of the community for their honesty and sound business.
Together they juggled and divided the many responsibilities of being a small business owner: advertising, cleaning, merchandising, ordering, display, sales, answering phones and bookkeeping.
Jody Laibstain, David’s wife, had her own career but supported him, he said. Jeff’s wife, Bonnie, stepped up during the pandemic to help. It modernized the old handwritten and “by the book” system, putting most finances online. The internal financing established by the patriarchs remained constant.
Competition with big box stores wasn’t really a problem as the Laibstains said they were always extremely consumer-focused.
“We try to kill them with kindness,” David Laibstain said. “And if they had a service call, we would take them very, very seriously.”
Each customer received a gift (or tchotchke, as they liked to call it) with a purchase.
Armed with its own trucks and in-house delivery drivers, Virginia Furniture Co. offered free delivery and setup (and sometimes even same-day delivery), making it an anomaly in an ever-changing retail landscape.
“We also found really nice people to work for us and we kept them forever,” David Laibstain said of his truck drivers, warehouse and office workers.
Richard Miles worked alongside the four men for 40 years, until he too retired in 2017. The younger Laibstains consider him their mentor.
David Laibstain recalled generations of the same families who came to the store over the years.
Kerri Estrella of Virginia Beach remains grateful to the Laibstains for helping her get back on her feet when she moved from New Jersey eight years ago with only mattresses for herself and her children.
“I was able to furnish our apartment because we had nothing and I kept going to them to buy every piece of furniture,” Estrella said. “I am one of the many Hampton Roads residents who is sad to see them go.”
Katherine Williams of Norfolk has been a customer for 40 years and considers them the last of a breed.
“They were truly friends of the worker,” he said.
Now that the final days of the business are behind us, the Laibstains are preparing for their retirement. David Laibstain started restoring antique furniture a few years ago and plans to continue that hobby. The cousins also plan to spend time on other activities such as traveling, spending time with family, reading and playing golf.
But the furniture (and the businesses and customers that provided their livelihood) will never be too far from their minds.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com