DISIENA FURNITURE EXPECTED TO CLOSE
Local business to shut down after liquidation sale
MECHANICVILLE, N. Y. » A longtime local furniture store is closing its doors after 70 years in business.
DiSiena Furniture, a familyowned businesswith two locations in Mechanicville, has announced plans to close following a liquidation sale. The store was closed Wednesday in preparation for the big sale, which starts Thursday.
“Due to some circumstances thatwe didn’t plan on, we have decided to close,” said Carol Zappone, who runs the business along with her husband, Mike, her brother Salvadore DiSiena and his wife, Susan. Another brother is also an owner, but not active in the business.
Salvadore DiSiena said the store is closing for many reasons, and that it’s a shame because there aren’t any stores like it around anymore. Carol went on to explain how furniture shopping has changed in the digital age, saying younger online shoppers want a quick reward, and don’t care as much about quality.
On the other hand, many loyal customers of an older generation are devastated that DiSiena Furniture is closing.
“The response has been unbelievable,” Carol said. “The customers, a lot of them are sad. Some of them are practically in tears.”
This year marks the 70th anniversary of when the siblings’ parents Angela and Bernard DiSiena created a part- time business selling televisions, air conditioners and kitchen cabinets in 1947 at its same 115 Round Lake Ave. location in Mechanicville, next door to the family house.
Over the years, the shop expanded several times.
“It’s been a steady progression,”
Salvadore said. “It’s been one progression after another.”
After a freak tornado hit the city on Memorial Day in 1998, the DiSienas moved the store to 80 Central Ave. in Mechanicville. Once damagewas repaired at the original location, the owners decided to keep both sites, offering more variety to their customers.
“It wasn’t just a business, it was pride in the business,” Salvadore said, thinking back on the many years that the company persevered. “It wasn’t just to make a living.”
Salvadore said he’s sad to see the family business ending, especially since it’s all he’s ever done.
As for their plans after the closing, Salvadore and Carol both said they’re unsure.
The Central Avenue building has already been sold, Carol said, and the Round Lake Avenue property is for sale. The 75,000- square- foot showroom and warehouse building and 5.75 acres is priced at $ 1.9 million as an industrial property.
Since the announcement was made, first via letters to customers, people have been stopping in to say goodbye and offer kind words to the owners.
“It’s been bittersweet. I will miss the customers,” Carol said, noting she loves serving generations of customers.
Carol said she’s thankful to the customers for their years of business, as well as the store’s several longtime employees.
The liquidation sale, which is running at both locations, is expected to run through mid- November, Carol said.
Over the last seven decades, cus--
tomers would come fromall around Saratoga County, and neighboring areas to shop at DiSiena Furniture. The store’s slogan used to be “a little out of the way, a lot less to pay,” Salvadore recalled.
Now in DiSiena Furniture’s final days, that message is still true.
“We have a lot of merchandise in both showrooms. There are a lot of great deals here,” she said, talking about the upcoming sale. “Its definitely worth the trip if anyone is looking for anything.”
More information on DiSiena Furniture is available online at disienafurniture.com. To contact DiSiena Furniture, call ( 518) 664- 7385.