The Generator at Go Forward Pine Bluff celebrates Yancy’s Furniture and Appliances, 1610 W. Second Ave., during the recognition of Black Establishments of Pine Bluff in Black History Month.
“Anything you start, you have to be dedicated to it,” Queen Esther Yancy said. “If you tell people you are going to open at a certain time, you must be there. You are not going to get rich overnight.”
Yancy sits regal in her appearance after more than 50 years in business at Yancy’s Furniture and Appliances. Yancy’s began with the late Lewis Yancy Sr. fixing radios and televisions in 1946.
Yancy Sr. started the business in 1969 at 1602 W. Second Ave. and moved across the street shortly after to 1610 W. Second Ave., where the family started to sell furniture along with the appliance business.
Queen Esther Yancy and her two sons, Lewis Jr. and Cedric, run the day-to-day operations. Two grandsons also serve as an intricate part of the family’s daily operation.
Yancy Sr. is said to have been propelled into the furniture and appliance industry by wanting to do something unique in his community that others were not doing. There was a market for radio and television repair, and Yancy Sr. saw his chance. He wanted to sell appliances. Queen Esther Yancy recalls her husband’s story of walking down a street in Little Rock and spotting a sign that read “GE (General Electric) Coming Soon.”
He went in the distribution center and told the store representative that he wanted to sell appliances. The reluctant store representative gave Yancy Sr. a contract to sell appliances with a condition that he would have to pick up the appliances because the vendor could not deliver them to him.
Yancy Sr. started to pick the appliances up and bring them back to the community to sell. The Yancys started getting appliance merchandise a little at time until they could build the business into the next phase, which was furniture.
One of the Yancys’ greatest challenges was getting merchandise. The couple started going to the furniture market in Dallas. Queen Esther Yancy remembers how Dallas had one of the largest furniture markets in the industry, consisting of three buildings. One building had 13 floors, one had four floors and one had two floors. Queen Esther Yancy recounts that she and Yancy Sr. were the only Black furniture store owners among thousands of people at the market.
Yancy Sr. supported other entrepreneurs in the industry by allowing them to have merchandise until they were up and stable to run on their own. He supported others because he knew there was not a path for entrepreneurs succeeding in the industry unless someone gave them an opportunity.
Queen Esther Yancy advises young entrepreneurs to be dedicated and consistent in whatever you do. She says, “you are not going to get rich overnight, but dedication is the main thing.”
When asked what the greatest reward as a business owner has been, she said she believes it has certainly been the ability to help others.
“We try to give people the right information. We counsel customers in how to budget their purchases by not overloading themselves with debt,”she said.
Loyal customers span four generations of purchases through Yancy’s Furniture and Appliances.
Covid-19 has affected the business in a positive way. There was an uptick in business because people are taking better care of their homes. Households have had appliances go out, and furniture being more frequently used. Yancy’s warehouse stock has been diminishing more rapidly than usual because of shipping restraints, something most furniture stores are battling during the pandemic.
The Yancys have five children and five grandsons who have worked in the business. The Yancys’ grandsons lovingly care for their grandmother’s desire to stay engaged in her family’s legacy and be an active part of the business’ operation.
Queen Esther Yancy is still on the throne at Yancy’s Furniture and Appliances with complete dedication to being a sustainable Black establishment for the next generation.
Editor’s note: This article was produced by The Generator. The focus of the weekly articles is to recognize the Black establishments of Pine Bluff. The Generator is an innovation hub powered by Go Forward Pine Bluff.
