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EMILY:..FIRST AT NOON -- A
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT THIS
MORNING.ART VAN IS BECOMING A
THING OF THE
PAST.TOM:..THE COMPANY IS
SHUTTING DOWN OPERATIONS AND
WILL START LIQUIDATING ITS
ASSESTS áTOMORROW.
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NEWS 8'S DONOVAN LONG LEADS
OUR COVERAGE THIS AFTEROON
LIVE FROM THE ART VAN ON 28TH
STREET IN GRAND RAPIDS.
DONOVAN?
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DONOVAN:..EMILY AND TOM--ART
VAN IS CLOSING ITS DOORS FOR
GOOD--AFFECTING THIRTY-ONE
HUNDRED WORKERS IN THE MIDWEST.
WE'RE TOLD THE COMPANY IS
GOING OUT OF BUSINESSES
BECAUSE IT HAS STUGGLED TO
KEEP UP IN A COMPETITVIE
RETAIL ENVINRONEMNT.
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AS A RESULT--THE COMPANY WILL
BEGIN LIQUIDATING ALL OF ITS
STORES TOMRROW.THAT INLCUDES
SEVEN ART VAN LOCATION AND SIX
PURE SLEEP LOCATIONS IN WEST
MICHIGAN. YOU CAN SEE WHERE
THEY ARE LOCATED RIGHT NOW ON
YOUR SCREEN.
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WE'RE TOLD LEVIN FURNITURE AND
WOLF FURNITURE STORES, WHICH
ART VAN ACQUIRED THREE YEARS
AGO, WILL BE SOLD BACK TO
ROBERT LEVIN, PENDING COURT
APPROVAL.ART VAN FURNITURE
STARTED IN 1959 AS A SINGLE
STORE IN DETRIOIT. A
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE COMPANY
SAYS SHE EXTENDED A SINCERE
APPRECIATION TO THE EMPLOYEES
FOR THEIR DEDICATION,
COMMITMENT AND HARD WORK AND
IS GRATEFULT TO ALL THE
CUSTOMERS WHOV'E SUPPORTED THE
COMPANY.
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(( DIANE CHARLES / ART VAN
SPOKESPERSON // THIS IS A VERY
SAD DAY FOR ART VAN AND THE
STATE OF MICHIGAN. FOR DECADES
WE HAVE BEEN IN PEOPLE'S HOMES
AND NOW WE WON'T BE. IT'S NOT
JUST IMPACTING EMPLOYEES, BUT
COMMUNITIES. REMEMBER, WE DO
SUPPORT THINGS LIKE THE PARADE
AND THE SPORTS COMPLEX AND
HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF
CHARITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE
OF MICHIGAN ))
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DONOVAN:..
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DONOVAN:..ART VAN FURNITURE
OPERATES NEARLY 200 STORES IN
SEVERAL MIDWEST STATES AND IN
IOWA PENNSYLVANIA VIRGINIA AND
PENNSYLVANIA IOWA PENNSYLVANIA
VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND.THE MAN
WHO FOUNDED THE COMPANY-ART
VAN ELSLANDER-DIED TWO YEARS
AGO.LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS
DONOVAN LONG L
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EMILY:..YOU HEARD DIANE
CHARLES MENTION THIS DURING
HER INTERVIEW WITH DONOVAN...
HERE IN WEST MICHIGAN, ART VAN
HAS BEEN MORE THAN JUST A
FURNITURE STORE.
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FOR YEARS THEY HAVE SPONOSORED
THE ART VAN SANTA PARADE
THROUGH DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS.
THIS IS VIDEO FROM OUR
BROADCAST OF THE PARADE LAST
NOVEMBER.
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ART VAN ALSO SPONSORED THE
SPORTS COMPLEX THAT OPENED IN
2014 IN ROCKFORD.THERE ARE
EIGHT BASEBALL FIELDS AT THE
FACILITY -- THAT HOSTS
TOURNAMENTS THROUGHOUT THE
WARMER MONTHS.BOTH THE PARADE
AND SPORTS COMPLEX WILL NOW BE
LOOKING FOR NEW SPONSORS.WE'LL
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY