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'Very unusual' situation leads to showroom sale at Peoria furniture store

Ashley Furniture is trying to clear out its showroom with a major sale after flooding damaged the majority of items at the Peoria store, located at 8727 Knoxville Ave.

Living room furniture, bedroom furniture, kitchen tables, accessories and more will all be on sale Oct. 1, said Ellen Hook, central Illinois COO of Ashley Furniture.

Flooding from a water main break Sept. 21 damaged around 75% of items at the business, which is part of the national furniture chain. Hook said the company determined which items could still be sold and marked down the prices based on the amount of damage. She said customers can save over 70% in some cases.

“So, we'll try to get the best offer for the customer,” Hook said, “but everything will be as is and highly negotiable depending on how bad the damage is.”

Even undamaged furniture and items will be available, Hook said. She said the primary goal of the sale is to clear out the inventory so the location can begin to be remodeled.

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Hook said Tom Rundquist, director of sales, received a call from the Peoria team around 10 a.m. Sept. 21. There was water “gushing” from the warehouse and spilling into the showroom.

“It took them a long time to figure out where the break was because the water main shutoff was buried like beneath 6 inches of asphalt,” Hook said.

By the time the team reached the shutoff, Hook said about a quarter of Ashley’s inventory was untouched. Even worse, the warehouse is where Ashley Furniture keeps its inventory and items that customers have already ordered.

The team began calling customers right away if their items were damaged, Hook said. Overall, she said customers have been patient and understanding as Ashley Furniture works to replace items for them.

“It was like a very unusual situation,” Hook said. “My family's been in the furniture business 150 years and we've never ever had a flood like this.”

Connect with Cassidy Waigand by emailing her at CWaigand@gannett.com or by following her on Twitter at @justxaxwriter.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Ashley Furniture in Peoria holds massive sale after flood damage