'End of an era' for Kettering furniture and bed shop as family directors announce retirement sale
A family run business that has served Northamptonshire for nearly 100 years is preparing to close its doors after the firm’s directors made the ‘sad’ decision to retire.
Family-run furniture store, FL Caswell and its sister store, the Kettering Bedding Centre, will be closing its doors for the final time at the end of March next year.
It’s been a sad decision for brothers Robert and Anthony Jones and brother-in-law Paul Balmbra, the directors who run the stores.
Robert said: “We always said that if one of us was going we would all go. I feel very sad. It’s been our whole lives ever since we were teenagers.”
Anthony says he doesn’t know where the time has gone. The brothers were born into the business that had premises in Montagu Street and another outlet in Regent Street.
Robert and Anthony’s grandfather – Frank had trained as an upholsterer and began working from his garage. In 1926 Frank borrowed £40 from his mum to open a furniture shop in Wellingborough Road, Rushden. Working with wife Win, who did the accounts, the couple built up the business over more than 40 years.
Frank and Win passed on the business to their daughter, Jill and her husband Peter, who not only moved the business to the current premises in Montagu Street, in the late 1960s but also added another showroom for beds nearby.
The shop has been expanded over the years to house the wide selection of furniture that the business still prides itself on today, with brands such as Parker Knoll, G Plan and Ercol.
Tragedy struck in 2019 when the Kettering Bedding Centre in Regent Street was damaged by a huge fire.
But the showroom was relocated to new premises in Newland Street, and from there space made in the Montagu Street store.
Caswells’ loyal customers have returned to the family business down the generations, thanks to the company’s reputation.
Robert said: “We have got such a good reputation. People like to buy quality. People like to touch and feel the furniture they are buying. Our furniture is not ‘cheap’ – it’s built to last and it’s good quality.”
Over the years the shop has expanded its range and now stock a complete range of home furnishing from cabinets and carpets, lamps and sofa beds to furniture for the home office.
Anthony said: “It’s nice to see the generations of customers. It shows we are doing the right thing.”
Robert said: “We really want to thank our customers – and all our staff over the years, we can’t name them all because its such a big list.
"It really is the end of an era – but it’s the start of a new chapter for us.”
All the stock in the Montagu Street shop will be sold in a special retirement sale starting on Friday, December 27 at 9am.