Haynes Furniture has evolved through entrepreneurial innovation and a commitment to the people of Virginia. In 1930, Ellis Strelitz purchased a small furniture store in Norfolk from L.D. Haynes. Joined by his son and his younger brother, Mr. Strelitz set out to build Virginia’s biggest furniture store and to revolutionize the furniture industry. In the late 1950’s, the Strelitz brothers, now President and Executive Vice President of Haynes Furniture, moved the business to downtown Norfolk, and also acquired a small furniture store in Suffolk which became the second branch of Haynes Furniture.
In the seventies, the Strelitz family radically changed the way Virginians acquired home furnishings. They realized that people want the biggest selection to choose from as well as the lowest price possible. Customers also did not like to wait days or weeks to take home what they saw and touched as they shopped. They wanted what they wanted, and they wanted it now! So, that is what Haynes delivered. A huge and beautiful store attached to an enormous warehouse on Virginia Beach Boulevard – selection and no waiting all at once! In excess of 300,000 square feet, the new Haynes store held as much as ten normal-sized stores. Committing to this new concept took two attributes the family has never seemed to lack – the vision to see, and the nerve to make it happen. The Virginia Beach location continues to operate as the Corporate Headquarters for Haynes Furniture