Levin Furniture
American furniture and mattress retailer serving customers through stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Levin Furniture is an American furniture and mattress retailer whose operations are concentrated in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The company traces its origins to 1920, when Sam and Jessie Levin established a general sales clearance center in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. During the 1940s, the business progressively withdrew from miscellaneous merchandise and focused on furniture, creating the retail specialization that defines the company today. The business remained family-operated for much of its history. Leonard Levin, the founders' son, joined the company during the period of transition toward furniture retailing and ultimately became president. From 1978 through 1985, Levin added five stores in the Pittsburgh area, establishing a broader regional presence rather than remaining a single-location operation. After Leonard Levin's death, Howard Levin became president in 1989. The company entered the Cleveland, Ohio, market in 1992, after which Robert Levin became president. Levin's business model centers on physical retail stores offering household furniture and mattresses. Its assortment is associated with major residential categories such as living-room, bedroom, dining-room, and occasional furniture, together with mattresses and related bedroom products. The brand's public-facing identity combines furniture retailing with mattress sales and serves customers in regional markets rather than operating as a nationwide chain. A major ownership change occurred in 2017, when Robert Levin retired and the company was acquired by Art Van Furniture, a Michigan-based furniture retailer headquartered in Warren. The acquisition placed Levin within Art Van's broader retail organization. That arrangement was disrupted when Art Van Furniture sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020 and announced plans to liquidate company-owned stores. Art Van subsequently entered Chapter 7 liquidation in April 2020. Robert Levin then returned to arrange the purchase of the Levin stores, helping preserve the business and avoid their potential closure. In the same period, the revived company acquired two former Wolf Furniture stores in central Pennsylvania affected by the Art Van bankruptcy. These transactions brought the Levin network to 28 stores, according to the cited Wikipedia account. Levin Furniture therefore represents a long-running regional retail brand shaped by family ownership, geographic expansion, an acquisition by a larger furniture group, and a subsequent ownership recovery during that group's bankruptcy. Its current market identity remains focused on furniture and mattresses for households in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Public reference material does not establish a separate publicly traded parent, a stock listing, or a broader international footprint.
History
Levin Furniture began in 1920 in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where Sam and Jessie Levin operated a general sales clearance center. The original business handled more than furniture, but the Levin family gradually narrowed the assortment during the 1940s and concentrated on furniture retailing. Leonard Levin, the founders' son, joined the business during this transition and later became its president. The company expanded beyond its original base during the late twentieth century. Between 1978 and 1985, it opened five additional stores in the Pittsburgh area. This expansion created a regional network in western Pennsylvania and gave the company a larger operating platform while it remained associated with the Levin family. Following Leonard Levin's death, Howard Levin assumed the presidency in 1989. In 1992, Levin Furniture entered the Cleveland, Ohio, market. The move extended the retailer's footprint across state lines and established a second major geographic area for the business. Robert Levin subsequently became president. The available reference material identifies him as a later family leader and as the person who returned to ownership during the company's 2020 restructuring crisis. In 2017, Robert Levin retired, and Art Van Furniture acquired Levin Furniture. The transaction connected the regional Pennsylvania-and-Ohio retailer with a larger Michigan-based furniture company. The relationship became unstable when Art Van Furniture filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020 and proposed liquidating its company-owned stores. Art Van later entered Chapter 7 liquidation in April of that year. Because Levin was part of the acquired retail organization, its locations faced the possibility of being closed or liquidated. Robert Levin responded by arranging to buy back the Levin Furniture stores. The transaction was intended to preserve the business rather than allow the locations to disappear in the Art Van liquidation. During the same period, Levin also acquired two former Wolf Furniture stores in central Pennsylvania that had been affected by the Art Van bankruptcy. The additions brought the reported Levin store count to 28. The resulting company is a regional furniture and mattress retailer operating in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Its history combines a century-long family origin, a gradual shift from general merchandise to furniture, expansion through store openings, entry into Ohio, acquisition by a larger competitor, and re-establishment of independent family-linked ownership after the acquirer's bankruptcy. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete current executive roster, detailed financial statements, or a full chronology of individual store openings and closures.
- 2020
Stores bought back after Art Van bankruptcy
[1]Robert Levin arranged to reacquire the Levin stores after Art Van entered bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings.
- 2020
Two former Wolf Furniture stores added
[1]Levin acquired two former Wolf Furniture stores in central Pennsylvania, bringing the reported network to 28 stores.
- 2017
Acquired by Art Van Furniture
[1]After Robert Levin retired, Art Van Furniture acquired the company.
- 1992
Expansion into Cleveland
[1]Levin Furniture expanded into the Cleveland, Ohio, market.
- 1989
Howard Levin becomes president
[1]Howard Levin became president after the death of his father, Leonard Levin.
- 1985
Five-store Pittsburgh expansion completed
[1]The company had added five Pittsburgh-area stores during the 1978–1985 expansion period.
- 1978
Pittsburgh-area expansion begins
[1]Levin began a period in which it added five stores in the Pittsburgh area between 1978 and 1985.
- 1940
Business focuses on furniture
[1]During the 1940s, the Levin family phased out other merchandise categories and concentrated the business on furniture.
- 1920
Business founded in Mount Pleasant
[1]Sam and Jessie Levin established the business as a general sales clearance center in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania.
Products and positioning
Regional, store-based furniture and mattress retailer with a long family-business heritage and a strong presence in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Furniture
Living-room furniture
Levin's furniture assortment includes residential living-room pieces sold through its regional retail network. The available reference material identifies furniture as the company's central merchandise category, although it does not provide a complete product-level catalog or specify individual manufacturers and collections.
Furniture
Bedroom furniture
Bedroom furnishings are part of the household furniture categories associated with Levin Furniture. They are offered alongside the company's mattress business, supporting the retailer's broader bedroom furnishing proposition. Detailed product ranges and branded collections are not specified in the cited reference.
Furniture
Dining-room furniture
Dining-room furniture forms part of Levin's general home-furnishings offer. The company evolved from a general sales business into a furniture specialist during the 1940s, and its current retail identity covers multiple residential furniture categories rather than a single room or product type.
Sleep products
Mattresses
Levin Furniture operates as a furniture and mattress retailer, giving mattresses a distinct role in its current assortment. The supplied sources do not identify specific mattress brands, technologies, price tiers, or proprietary products.
Brand decisions
2020
Reacquisition of Levin storesM&ABackground
Art Van Furniture's bankruptcy and planned liquidation placed its company-owned stores, including Levin locations, at risk.
Action taken
Former owner Robert Levin arranged to purchase the Levin Furniture stores.
Aftermath
The transaction helped preserve the Levin operation, and the company also added two former Wolf Furniture stores in central Pennsylvania.
2017
Sale to Art Van FurnitureM&ABackground
Robert Levin retired and Levin Furniture was acquired by Art Van Furniture.
Action taken
Ownership of the regional furniture retailer transferred to Art Van Furniture.
Aftermath
The company later became exposed to the consequences of Art Van Furniture's 2020 bankruptcy and liquidation.
Recent events
Levin Furniture announces reopening of 17 stores[3]
Levin Furniture announced on July 3 that 17 stores it had sold to Art Van would reopen that week, including nine in Pittsburgh and eight in Cleveland.
Sources3 sources
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