Business

Rotmans furniture store in Worcester to close after more than six decades

The labyrinthine retailer, located at 725 Southbridge St., will be closed Oct. 12-13 before a going-out-of-business sale commences on Friday, Oct. 14.

Courtesy of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Rotmans Furniture, a mammoth retailer in Worcester, will close later this year, the business announced Tuesday.

Rotmans Furniture, a mammoth Worcester institution that has sold furnishings, mattresses, and carpets since 1956, will close by the end of the year, the business confirmed Tuesday.

“It’s very bittersweet,” sales manager Barbara Kane said in a phone interview. “We are so grateful for all the customers — now it’s three generations of customers [who] have purchased from us. We feel like we’re a big part of this community, so it was a very hard decision.”

CEO Steve Rotman, 83, decided to close the emporium because “he didn’t have any next generation that were able to take over the business,” said Kane, who has worked at Rotmans for 23 years. “Steve thought that the best thing he could do would be to go out well.” In 2019, Worcester-based manufacturer Vystar Corp., also helmed by Steve Rotman, acquired Rotmans for more than $2 million. Rotman will stay CEO of Vystar, Kane said.

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