Barker Bros Furniture

For 111 years, the stores were symbols of decorum and good taste, places guaranteed to make a lasting impression on generations of wide-eyed children who tiptoed around, careful not to scratch the mahogany or crack the crystal. Yet 6-year-old Sarah Meyers and her brother, Bobby, 9, will have another reason for remembering how the end came Thursday to the venerable Barker Bros. furniture chain.

For 111 years, the stores were symbols of decorum and good taste, places guaranteed to make a lasting impression on generations of wide-eyed children who tiptoed around, careful not to scratch the mahogany or crack the crystal. Yet 6-year-old Sarah Meyers and her brother, Bobby, 9, will have another reason for remembering how the end came Thursday to the venerable Barker Bros. furniture chain.

The largest single space in South Coast Plaza Village, which has been empty for almost six years, has finally found a tenant. Plaza officials said Monday that Barker Bros. Furniture, an 11-store chain based in Pasadena, will move into the 35,000-square-foot Mercantile Building and make the outlet its flagship. The long-empty building had earned the shopping plaza--which is across the street from mammoth South Coast Plaza--the nickname "South Ghost Village."

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee has been appointed to oversee the Barker Bros. liquidation, but customers with deposits at the furniture retailer may have to wait months before their claims are settled. The 111-year-old firm was Southern California's oldest furniture chain; it closed Friday and filed for bankruptcy liquidation Monday.

Barker Bros., Southern California's oldest furniture chain, filed for bankruptcy Monday morning and said it will liquidate its business to help pay its debts. Hours later, a spokeswoman for RB Furniture in Irvine said her company is "reviewing its current position" amid increasing speculation among its suppliers that the chain will also seek bankruptcy court protection.

Barker Bros., one of two remaining major furniture chains based in the Los Angeles area, closed its 10 Southern California outlets Friday while preparing "to reorganize" its business. A supplier, who asked to remain unidentified, said he was told by company sources Friday that the firm had filed for bankruptcy protection. Customers and contractors said they were notified that the chain had stopped operating and would make a formal announcement of its plans next week. Barker Bros.

Hoping to capture more younger buyers, Barker Bros. is betting that its new furniture store in South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana will serve as a model for the rest of the chain. The 40,000-square-foot store will group furniture by style, rather than room. Hence, a couple who want to decorate their house in a French Colonial style will find an entire area devoted to the style, instead of having to look through rows of bedrooms, or rows of dining rooms, to find what they want.

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee has been appointed to oversee the Barker Bros. liquidation, but customers with deposits at the furniture retailer may have to wait months before their claims are settled. The 111-year-old firm was Southern California's oldest furniture chain; it closed Friday and filed for bankruptcy liquidation Monday.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg flexed her muscle in Hollywood the other day--and we don't mean that metaphorically either. Wielding a sledgehammer, Goldberg broke through the wall of the lobby at the historic El Capitan building, revealing a peek of its 1920s splendor. There's more splendor to come. The building's owner, Wisconsin's Century Life of America, is restoring the Hollywood Boulevard structure, once home to the Barker Bros. furniture chain.

The Discovery Science Center will open in Santa Ana on Dec. 19, two months behind schedule but $2 million richer, center officials said Saturday. The announcement of the opening date came during a black-tie fund-raiser at the nearly completed hands-on science museum, which inhabits an overhauled two-story furniture store just north of the Santa Ana Freeway on North Main Street.

Barker Bros., Southern California's oldest furniture chain, filed for bankruptcy Monday morning and said it will liquidate its business to help pay its debts. Hours later, a spokeswoman for RB Furniture in Irvine said her company is "reviewing its current position" amid increasing speculation among its suppliers that the chain will also seek bankruptcy court protection.

Barker Bros., one of two remaining major furniture chains based in the Los Angeles area, closed its 10 Southern California outlets Friday while preparing "to reorganize" its business. A supplier, who asked to remain unidentified, said he was told by company sources Friday that the firm had filed for bankruptcy protection. Customers and contractors said they were notified that the chain had stopped operating and would make a formal announcement of its plans next week. Barker Bros.

Hoping to capture more younger buyers, Barker Bros. is betting that its new furniture store in South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana will serve as a model for the rest of the chain. The 40,000-square-foot store will group furniture by style, rather than room. Hence, a couple who want to decorate their house in a French Colonial style will find an entire area devoted to the style, instead of having to look through rows of bedrooms, or rows of dining rooms, to find what they want.

The largest single space in South Coast Plaza Village, which has been empty for almost six years, has finally found a tenant. Plaza officials said Monday that Barker Bros. Furniture, an 11-store chain based in Pasadena, will move into the 35,000-square-foot Mercantile Building and make the outlet its flagship. The long-empty building had earned the shopping plaza--which is across the street from mammoth South Coast Plaza--the nickname "South Ghost Village."

Multimillionaire Harry Macklowe has purchased the landmark Barker Bros. building, at 818 W. 7th St., and three adjoining parcels on Figueroa Street for about $100 million. The New York-based developer has plans to put about $165 million into renovating the building and constructing a conference center and 600-room hotel, which he will name, following the tradition of another well-known New Yorker, for himself. Linked to Building The 450,000-square-foot Hotel Macklowe and conference center will be linked to the Barker Bros.

Why are these people hitting a ball around on the grass at Santa Monica's Culver Park? Why not? It may be good for you. It's certainly good for them. "In Japan they say the people that play gateball, less of them go to the rest home and old-age home," says Kiyoko Nakamura, 72, who has been playing with the Bay City Gateball Club since 1988. "It's good for the health, and it keeps your memory working." The game is like croquet, but different. For one thing, you need 10 people to play.