Jungquist closing store this month
Email | Print Josh Lintereur | Skagit Valley Herald
March 11, 2008 - 09:00 PM

Frank Varga

Bus Jungquist will close his 41-year-old furniture store in Sedro-Woolley later this month, just days after his 90th birthday.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY — Bus Jungquist’s first sale at his downtown furniture store was more trouble than it was worth.

The customer skipped town and moved to California with a new couch, recliner and an unpaid tab. It felt like an ominous beginning for Jungquist, a former grocery store owner who knew little about the furniture business.

His luck turned months later, when the customer moved back to town. Jungquist showed up at the person’s doorstep, reclaimed the furniture and eventually resold it.

“They should have never come back to town,” he said.

Over the years, the obstacles would only get bigger. But whether it was competition from big box stores or shopping malls, Bus Jungquist Furniture Inc. was that rare downtown retailer that stood the test of time.

This month, after more than four decades in business, Jungquist will retire and close his store, just days after his 90th birthday.

Jungquist doesn’t necessarily want to call it quits. But health concerns and a desire to spend more time with his wife, Bernice, convinced him it was time.

“It grows on you, and it becomes more than just a business,” said Jungquist, who’s served on the City Council, Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. “That’s why I’m going to miss it.”

Watching Jungquist walk his sales floor on a recent morning dressed in a red tie, suit and fedora, it’s clear why he’s stayed in business for so long — the man loves people, and people love him back.

One minute he’s jokingly telling a long-time customer to shave his beard, the next he’s telling a photographer not to take his picture because the camera might break.

Jungquist’s disarming personality and the trust he earns with people has brought him many loyal customers over the years.

“I always tried to treat my customers right, and I’ve made a lot of friends,” he said.

Jungquist was born and raised in Burlington and later joined the Army, serving in Italy during World War II.

He became a small business owner in 1949 when he purchased his father-in-law’s grocery store on Jameson Street, which he renamed Bus’s Grocery.

He closed the grocery in 1967 and opened his furniture business on Metcalf Street. He relocated across the street to the old J.C. Penney’s store in 1983, where he’s remained ever since.

In recent years he’s scaled back his hours, but he’s still there most mornings, chatting up customers and walking the showroom.

The store should close sometime in late March, after his retirement sale is finished.

A new tenant hasn’t been announced for the site. Jungquist leases the building, which is owned by the Masonic Lodge.

Local leaders say it will be hard to replace Jungquist and his store.

“Bus has been an institution,” said David Bricka, executive director of the Sedro-Woolley Chamber of Commerce.

* Josh Lintereur can be reached at 360-416-2141 or at .


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