National furniture company to open its first Georgia outlet store in Macon

The only Ashley HomeStore Outlet furniture store in Georgia, and only the second one in the country, is expected to open in Macon.

The AshleyHomeStore at 4661 Presidential Parkway was recently acquired by Thomasville-based Russell Turner Holding Corp., and it plans to open Ashley HomeStore Outlet, according to a news release. The only other Ashley outlet store is in Greensboro, North Carolina. Russell Turner is a licensee of Ashley HomeStore.

In order to convert the 45,000-square-foot building into an outlet store, the company will need to do a “total remodel,” the release said.

“All merchandise must be liquidated before the remodel can begin,” it said.

The store will begin to sell all its furniture at this location on Black Friday — a $3 million sell off to clear the store for the remodel. It will include furniture, mattresses, home decor, lighting and accessories.

“We feel everything will be gone by February,” said Steve Gracik, president of Russell Turner.

The store will likely remain open during the renovation, he said.

Its 14 employees will remain after the transfer and the company is expected to hire five-10 more workers for the outlet store, Gracik said. Anyone interested may apply at the store.

Family owned since 1915, Russell Turner Holding is one of the largest owners of Ashley HomeStores and operates 16 stores including Albany, Thomasville and Columbus in Georgia, and stores in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia and North Carolina. Ashley Furniture is based in Arcadia, Wisconsin.