Art Van Is Now Loves

A fresh start with a classier look.

by Micheline Maynard

From the December, 2020 issue

Loves Furniture acquired twenty- seven stores in the Art Van bankruptcy earlier this year and has reopened the old Art Van store on Eisenhower Pkwy.

Loves is named for Dallas investor Jeff Love, who created the company to manage the former Art Van. Based in Warren, it's hired many Art Van veterans-some of whom felt their expertise was ignored by the hedge fund that bought it in 2017 and saddled it with $400 million in debt (Marketplace Changes, June).

Loves CEO Matt Damiani, a former Art Van VP, says the chain expects to employ 1,000 people and is spending millions to update the stores. The offerings aren't dramatically different from Art Van's, but the furniture looks a little more contemporary and the ads are classier.

Loves' arrival coincides with strong demand in local residential real estate. "At Loves, we want everyone to love where they live," he said via email.

Damiani says Loves wants shoppers to feel comfortable browsing for furniture and mattresses. "Loves has created a welcome space for stress-free shopping so customers can connect with pieces that reflect their unique style and preferences and trained home and sleep specialists that help, not hound," he writes. Unlike Art Van, where commission sales people swooped in on entering customers, Loves has a "concierge" who ascertains whether they prefer to shop on their own or with the assistance of sales staff. Customers can also make appointments to shop in person or make their purchases online- Damiani says about 80 percent are browsing online before they come into the store.

Loves Furniture & Mattresses, 425 E. Eisenhower Pkwy., (734) 356-3400. Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. lovesfurniture.com/locations-ann-arbor-store