BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Changing climates aren't always exclusive to the weather.
No one knows that better than Roger and Ray Buck.
On Sunday, the brothers will close down the last of four stores that gained prominence in the Twin Cities as Buck’s Unpainted Furniture.
“It was tough to make the decision, but once we made it, it was the right decision and we knew it,” says Ray.
Their parents, Marvel and George Buck, started the business in a store on Lake Street in 1960.
Budget-minded shoppers were drawn to the idea of finishing their own furniture as a way to save money.
In the early days, 90 percent of the furniture Buck’s sold was unfinished when it left the store.
But consumer attitudes changed.
Today, shoppers on a budget are looking more to Ikea and craigslist, according to Roger and Ray.
The Bucks recall stay-at-home moms taking on a do-it-yourself furniture finishing project in the garage.
Now those moms are working.
Buck’s still boasts “no particle board” on signs placed on its wood tables.
“There’s a perception, sometimes, our products are supposed to be cheaper than what they are, maybe, just because of the fact they’re unfinished. But they’re actually a better product,” says Roger.
That hasn’t always been an easy sell.
Annual sales peaked at $5 million around 2000, and have declined since. The Great Recession and 9/11 delivered especially tough blows.
The Bucks’ Bloomington Store is their last. It will close on Sunday.
Ray says he visited his parents at the cemetery to break the news. “’But you already know that,’ that’s what I said.”
The brothers, both in their mid-60s, say they’ll enjoy more time at the lake. They’ve both spent years working weekends.
Roger and Ray say they’ll miss their customers most.
“It’s been overwhelming the number of people who came in here, just to give us a hug,” says Roger.