WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-Economy forces Rock Hill business to close

Economy forces Rock Hill business to close

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - Lots of businesses have had to trim staff and change how their they operate in order to remain afloat in this dismal economy.

We found one business in Rock Hill that's having to take drastic steps as a result of the lack of customers and business.

Tinsley Furniture is family-owned and has been in operation for the past 25 years.  They have a prime location in Rock Hill right off I-77 and Celanese Road. 

On Thursday, the store started a closing sale and they say this is no gimmick.  They're closing for good.

"Rough couple of years," said owner Drenner Tinsley.

Everything in the store is half off because it all has to go. Because after 25 years as a small business owner Tinsley's is closing it's doors for good.

"Instead of the store supporting us we were supporting the store. You can only do that so long as a small mom and pop," said Tinsley. 

Tinsley says he saw the recession coming 3 years ago and knew his store wouldn't be immune.

"We were realistic enough to know that it could happen to us and it did happen to us," said Tinsley. 

To fight the recession Tinsley cut his pay roll like many companies do from 13 employees to four.

"The hardest thing I've ever had to do was to lay somebody off, and they did nothing wrong," said Tinsley.

Then for the past year it's been just he and his wife running the store and Tinsley made deliveries himself.

With stiff local competition and business heading to Charlotte, five months ago Tinsley couldn't pull a rabbit out of his hat to save his store.

"We did everything we possibly could.  We cut expenses cut any possible way we could it just wasn't enough," said Tinsley. 

So after 25 years Tinsley is closing the doors to the building that he owns, and moving into the real estate world.  A nice transition for a guy that has made home furnishings his life for the past 25 years.