American Home Furniture & Mattress is immediately liquidating its two Albuquerque, New Mexico stores and assets, according to a letter from the company to its vendor partners obtained by Bedding News Now.
The retailer closed its two Santa Fe store earlier this year when it announced it was undergoing a Chapter 11 reorganization. As part of that process, it continued to operate its two Albuquerque stores.
The letter, written by Kenton Van Harten, the chair and CEO of the 90-year-old family-owned company, reads:
“With profound sadness, I am writing to inform you that we will immediately begin an orderly liquidation of American Home Furniture & Mattress and its assets.
This decision brings tremendous personal grief and disappointment. We have explored every potential path to recovery available to us, including discussions with vendors, potential investors and financing sources, as well as alternative operating structures. Despite those efforts, we have been unable to secure the capital necessary to restore the inventory and financial stability required to sustain the business.
The furniture industry has also faced persistent headwinds across the country. Higher merchandise prices, driven in part by tariffs, together with elevated fuel and transportation costs, have made it increasingly difficult to provide the value our guests expect. Declining consumer confidence and hesitation to commit to big-ticket purchases have compounded these challenges. These pressures extend far beyond American Home or New Mexico, as other longstanding furniture retailers and national chains have entered bankruptcy, closed stores or liquidated before us. We worked tirelessly to avoid that outcome, but these conditions, coupled with insufficient capital, have ultimately proven more than we could overcome.
This is a profound moment for American Home and for Albuquerque. For 90 years, the company has been woven into the life of our city and the homes of generations of New Mexicans. We have taken great pride in providing quality furniture at a fair price, with uncompromising service and integrity. Our vendor partners have been essential to fulfilling that promise.
I am deeply grateful for the relationships we have shared with you over the years. Your products, expertise, collaboration and support helped us earn our guests’ trust and serve this community. Many of these relationships have extended across decades and generations of people on both sides. I recognize that this outcome also creates financial uncertainty and disruption for your businesses, and I sincerely regret that we have reached this point.
I also want to recognize our extraordinary American Home team and the many alumni who helped build this company. Their dedication, ingenuity and care allowed a relatively small New Mexico business to develop systems, marketing, community engagement and guest service that rivaled—and often exceeded—those of much larger companies. They continued working to find solutions and serve our guests through exceptionally difficult circumstances. They are the best there is, and their contributions deserve lasting recognition.
Beyond our role as a retailer, we have been especially proud to give back to the communities that supported us. Through organizations such as the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, ALS New Mexico, Roadrunner Food Bank, The Food Depot in Santa Fe, ECHO Food Bank in Farmington, Beds4Kidz, Saranam, Heading Home and our many other community partners, we have supported arts and education, health needs, food assistance, vulnerable families and animal welfare. Several team members have personally served in leadership roles within these organizations. Our longstanding relationship with the Better Business Bureau has likewise reflected our commitment to trust, accountability and ethical business practices.
As we work through the liquidation, we will continue with the high level of grace, care and service that has become our trademark. We will do everything we can to assist our guests, address their questions and concerns, and communicate respectfully with our business partners.
We currently expect to complete the liquidation of our store and backstock inventory over the next four to six weeks, with final dissolution of the company anticipated within approximately eight weeks, subject to the steps required to complete the wind-down.
Please coordinate with our team before making additional shipments or taking action on open purchase orders so that outstanding commitments and customer needs can be reviewed. Questions concerning outstanding balances and claims will be addressed through counsel and the applicable legal process. We cannot yet provide assurances regarding the timing or amount of any recovery, but we will share confirmed information as the process develops.
I wish, deeply, that I were writing a different letter. Thank you for your partnership, your patience and the role you have played in American Home’s history. Your contributions helped us build something meaningful for this community, and I will always be grateful.
