DELMAR, Del.- Some call the stretch of Route 13 between Delmar and Laurel “Furniture Row.”


The corridor has furniture stores featuring more than 350,000 square feet of furniture. But it was not always like this.

“I can remember driving back and forth down Route 13 when I was going to college,” remembered Mike Bradley of Mike’s Clearance Center. “There was basically nothing between Laurel and Delmar.”

But busy warehouses are just another sign of the times here on the peninsula.

“The area has seen such exponential and explosive growth,” said Derek Feist, from Mitchell’s Interiors.

“The growth of Delmarva and furniture,” said Justin Barnes from FurnitureLand, “they definitely go hand in hand.”

One store doubled its sales in just two years. Another is opening one of the ten biggest showrooms in the United States.

Many in the furniture industry pointed to Delaware’s tax-free status as one big attraction. They said it helps keep prices lower for consumers.

Another factor are all the new houses springing up on the coast.

“As people move here and as all the new homes are built,” said Barnes, “they need to be furnished.”

Wealthy retirees flock to the Eastern Shore. “They don’t want to buy inexpensive furniture,” said Jon Harris of Bassett Furniture Direct.

But isn’t all the competition bad for business? Owners don’t seem to think so.

Frank Gerardi, of Johnny Janosik Furniture, said, “The more stores there are for consumers to shop, the more people it draws.”

Scott Furniture’s Ralph Scott agreed. “In one day,” he said, “they can compare a lot of brands, a lot of stores, and sort of shop for a sales person, if you will.

Many say it’s a snowball effect, and that more places mean more choices here on Furniture Row. 

Laughed Harris, “I’d call it the furniture center of the free world.”