By Al Krombach
CRESCENT CITY — After 80 years, residents of this city will soon have to look elsewhere for furniture and appliances.


Peacock Furniture, a town fixture since anyone can remember, will close in 60 to 90 days, owner Lenora Peacock said.

“I’ve worked 51 years. It’s about time to take a break,” she said.

The business began when the father of Peacock’s late husband, Ed, came to Crescent City in 1926. John T. Peacock began by operating a store with Hart Furniture of Jacksonville. Hart pulled out after a year and the Peacocks took over. The original store was on East Central Avenue a couple blocks uphill from Lake Crescent.

“In 1951, Ed’s father suffered a heart attack,” Peacock said. “A month later, Ed was called up by the military from the inactive reserves. It didn’t make any difference about his father — he had to go.”
The Peacocks sold the store. When Ed returned after three years, he went to work for Hudson Pulp and Paper. But the furniture store was languishing under its new ownership.

“In April of 1955, we bought it back,” Peacock said.

At that time the store was located on West Central Avenue within sight of Lake Stella. The Peacocks lived in an upstairs apartment. In 1961 they moved the business to its present location on Summit Street (U.S. 17) and the previous store became their warehouse.

Today the store is wedged between City Hall and a music store in a strip of businesses a few steps from U.S. 17. Inside, Peacock presides over a half-empty room of new furniture, appliances, air conditioners and televisions.

“We’ve moved everything up from the warehouse and the warehouse has been sold,” she said. “When this is gone, we’ll close the doors.”

It’s a safe bet most of the houses in Crescent City have some furniture, a washer and dryer or floor coverings supplied and installed by the Peacocks.

“Personal service, and knowing who you do business with, matters,” she said. “We still have a few customers that have been with us since the very beginning.”

Ed Peacock died about seven years ago. Their sons, Allen and Robert, were once part of the business but have moved on to more lucrative occupations.

Allen Peacock, the longtime fire chief of Crescent City’s volunteer department, added codes officer to his job title and went full-time with the city before being named Putnam County Fire Marshal last month. His brother, Robert, is a Putnam County paramedic. Robert still helps with the store on his days off.

“We thought we had store sold about a year and a half ago, but it didn’t happen,” Lenora Peacock said. “The opportunity came for Allen to go full-time with the city, and I said he should take it.”

Peacock acknowledged that running a small furniture business has become more difficult. Big-box stores draw more shoppers out of town, though she said many have found that Peacock’s prices are the same or even less than the major retailers.

It’s become more difficult to obtain inventory. Manufacturers like La-Z-Boy and Broyhill now operate their own stores and will no longer sell to smaller retailers, she noted.

“I ordered consistently and always paid my bills on time, but it didn’t matter to them,” she said.

Crescent City’s retail climate has changed considerably in the past 20 years. The city was once home to small department stores, a chain discount store and many other businesses. Crescent Citians didn’t have to shop anywhere else if they didn’t care to. Today the city still hosts an array of diversified small businesses including Hispanic-operated shops; there are few empty storefronts. Still, it’s hard to find big-ticket items or the variety of enticements that a mall or a Wal-Mart can offer.

Peacock said the business situation is one factor, but her wish to retire played a part in the decision to close the store, too. “It was just time,” she said. “At 78, I’ve been working a lot longer than most folks. And it hasn’t been the same since Ed died.”
An enthusiastic traveler, Peacock said she’ll see a lot more of the world after she locks the doors for good.