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Furniture Boom to Bust: Pandemic's Flip-Flop
25 Dec
Summary
- Furniture sales surged during Covid lockdowns as people worked and lived at home.
- Noble House saw significant sales increases in 2020 and 2021.
- Circle Furniture, operating for 73 years, recently closed all its stores.
The furniture industry experienced an unexpected surge in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. With lockdowns forcing people to spend all their time at home, sales of furniture, including items for home offices, soared. Companies like Noble House reported significant sales growth in 2020 and 2021, a stark contrast to the industry's overall performance during that period.
However, the fortunes of the furniture business dramatically reversed starting in 2022. Retailers that had enjoyed double-digit growth in the previous year began reporting substantial losses. This downturn was exacerbated by increasing economic difficulties and tariffs imposed on imported furniture and wood in October 2025, adding further strain to the sector.
Navigating these challenging economic conditions over the last two to three years has proven too difficult for many furniture chains. The latest casualty is the 73-year-old Circle Furniture, which permanently closed all its locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire on December 23, 2025, following an employee notification on December 19, 2025.
