Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Knowles.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My parents opened our store in May of 1979. I turned ten on May 11th of that same year. My only sibling, my sister Codi, had just been born March 4th of that same year. I am almost ten years older than she is. We are just beginning our 39th year in business here at Al’s. Al was our Dad, he passed away in 2005, and our Mother Linda died in 2011. Codi and I officially became owners on January 1st 2012. She and her husband Jack worked here for the last seven years. They had a lifetime dream of living in the mountains, and moved this year. I bought my sister out, and am now sole proprietor. My best friend Michael Wallace works here with me now full time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Retail is a long series of ups and downs. Just after we opened in 1979, road construction began on McKinney St. right in front of our store. We almost went out of business a couple of times over the next couple of years. Things got better in the 80’s, and we came roaring back. There were clashes with the City of Denton along the way, as they made things difficult on a small business, and continue to do today. We also endured a bad flood due to construction and drainage next door on a new property. Our store flooded, and we had quite a long recovery from that. We had part of our roof blown off in a storm a couple years back, and had major damage in our office to deal with. But we’ve managed to hang on through it all. God is good.
Please tell us about Al’s Furniture.
We are a family business, those are harder and harder to find. We are the only family owned and operated furniture store left in Denton. We love our customers, we know they are our lifeline, and we appreciate them, and serve them accordingly. We load, deliver, and set up our own merchandise. There are no third parties at Al’s.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Related to the family business, I would say that all the jigsaw puzzles we used to do here at the store would have to be my favorite memory. Al loved them, and I grew to enjoy them as well. My grandmother came down and worked them for hours too. We had literally finished hundreds of puzzles ranging in size from 500 to 1500 pieces. Dad would glue them to cardboard and staple them to the walls. At one time, we had more than 500 puzzles adorning the walls here at Al’s. Our puzzles actually made the local paper once.
Contact Info:
- Address: Al’s Furniture
1131 East McKinney Street
Denton, TEXAS 76209 - Website: shopals.com
- Phone: 940-387-4828
- Email: store@shopals.com
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