New furniture stores moving in to two former W MI Art Van Furniture spots
Posted By: Woodtv.com on February 10, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Michigan furniture company Gardner White is expanding into the west side of the state.
Gardner White has announced it is opening nine new stores, including locations in metro Grand Rapids and Portage.
“We’re so excited to be expanding into West Michigan. It’s such a vibrant and growing market,” Gardner White CEO Rachel Stewart told News 8.
The Grand Rapids-area store will be at 4375 28th St. near Patterson Avenue in Kentwood, while the Portage location will be at 550 Ring Road near Mall Drive. Both are expected to open this spring.
Both locations were previously Art Van Furniture stores and then Value City Furniture stores, property records show.
The team has been looking to expand in the West Michigan area for a while, Stewart said, but noted it’s a challenge to find the right space for a furniture store. Once it found right space, it was “ready to move.”
“We’re really excited to really be a part of the community. To us, that’s very, very much important, and our stores really become community hubs — one great thing about doing events in furniture stores is it’s always comfortable,” Stewart said.
Other Gardner White stores host events like free CPR training and free pet photos with Santa, according to its social media. Stewart said customers can also expect community events like reading events and other fun activities.
The company is also planning new locations in Lansing, Novi, Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Traverse City and Flint, along with a new store in the Toledo, Ohio, area.
“We’ve really spent the past few years building our team, so we’re positioned to grow,” Stewart said.
The openings come as the furniture industry sees a shift in what customers are looking for. Post-pandemic, customers are looking to get more out of where they live, Stewart said.
“The kitchen table became a lot more than a kitchen table,” she said. “You see a lot of great features in furniture with embedded charging and … embedded stereo. And what I think is really fun is not only are these great features that you use every day, but they also look really good, and I think that’s exciting. No one wants to choose between style and function, and now you don’t have to.”
Headquartered in Warren, Gardner White first got its start in 1912. It has since grown to around 30 stores across the state.
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