Every building and every business has a history – a story to tell. And, this story started more than 100 years ago when founder, Reuben C. Drury, championed this venture in 1925.
Reuben and his generations of successors have always known that it is about the people. It’s about the amazing and dedicated employees. It’s about exceeding customers’ expectations so they are happy enough to tell their friends about Drury’s in Fountain.
This story is about how Drury’s Furniture survived and thrived, continuously focusing on adaptation, improvement, growth and core principles from one generation to the next.
Reuben: Against the Odds
Born on July 27, 1904, in Cobb., Wis., and raised in Preston, Minn., Reuben C. Drury was the eldest of eight children. He grew up fast at a young age, raised by a single mom, Sadie, who was a clothes washer and seamstress. Living impoverished was a motivator for Reuben.
His upbringing must have been a driving force behind his resilience and commitment to succeed. Reuben had everything to gain in life and nothing to lose.
At the age of 20, Reuben was presented with a tremendous opportunity that would eventually shape his life. In March 1925, Reuben C. Drury and H.P. Ferdinandt formed a partnership, which operated as Fountain Furniture Company in a store on Main Street in downtown Fountain, Minn. The store was in a building spanning 25 feet by 70 feet for a total square footage of 1,750.
As the story has been told by many family members, H.P. Ferdinandt was referred to as “old Ferdinandt.” He owned a furniture store in Preston, and wanted to expand up to Fountain.
At that time, downtown Fountain had two grocery stores and several bars. The bank was located where the Village Square of Fountain is now. There was a pharmacy, a variety store, and a number of gas stations. But, no furniture store.
Old Ferdinandt and Drury saw opportunity.
In a letter dated March 5, 1925, sent to residents of the area, 20-year-old Reuben Drury started his message with, “A new furniture store will be opened in Fountain on March 7th, whose aim and ambition will be to serve the people of this vicinity in such a manner as to merit their constant patronage. QUALITY, VALUE and SERVICE will be the watch words and the foundation on which this business will be built,” signed R.C. Drury.
That became his mission statement.
Mr. Ferdinandt showed young Reuben the ropes on how to run a furniture store. Reuben’s salary was $13 per week, and he was to have no charge accounts in Fountain. In 1926, Reuben bought out his partner and changed the name of the store to R.C. Drury Furniture.
There’s an important document framed and hanging on the wall at Drury’s that reflects on the history of the relationship and trust between Reuben Drury and Hiram Johnson. As the president of the First State Bank of Fountain, Johnson loaned young Drury a total of $500 to buy inventory. This contract has become a continuous reflection of humble beginnings for the Drury family.
Little did Reuben know at such a young age, he was about to face some of his biggest challenges as a business owner. The stock market crashed on October 25, 1929, spiraling the U.S. economy into The Great Depression.
Reuben, now 25 years old, was not going to throw in the towel. He was going to be creative.
According to family lore Reuben drove all throughout area towns with a truckload of furniture and then came back at night to unload it as there were no sales. His truck was a moving billboard promoting his furniture store while also appearing to be busy delivering furniture.
The U.S. unemployment rose from near 0% in 1929 to upwards of 25.6% in May 1933. It was a tough time to own a business. But, somehow Reuben survived and thrived as a result of hard work and sacrifice.
On June 24, 1931, Reuben married Gladys (Toots) Johnson at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa.
And, then along came David in 1935, nearly 10 years after Reuben had started his furniture store venture. Reuben and Toots were blessed with one son.
While raising David, they ran the business together, slowly building a clientele in southeastern Minnesota.
They worked long hours, six days a week, running their small store during the day, with Reuben and a part-time helper delivering furniture and installing linoleum in the evenings.
Reuben was ambitious enough to run a diversified operation. He started running a funeral business out of the back room of the furniture store. At that time, traditional funeral homes hadn’t evolved to what they are today. According to David Drury, they performed about 12 funerals per year, and they were held at the residence of the deceased.
David recalls when they would need to leave town for the weekend, Reuben would call the switchboard operator in Fountain to let him know they would be gone for the weekend. So, the operator would take note in case someone needed to reach Reuben for funeral arrangements. The switchboard operators back in the early days of the telephone system had to know what was going on in everyone’s lives.
With The Great Depression still impacting the lives of many, in 1939, at the onset of World War II, the unemployment rate was still at 17.2%. Reuben had weathered the challenges of owning and operating a furniture store during a time when so many businesses had shuttered.
Unfortunately, it was about to get worse. As the war raged on for six years, all U.S. resources were redirected to the military. Steel and fabric, materials used to build furniture, were in short supply. Reuben couldn’t purchase furniture, because manufacturing had come to an abrupt halt.
How could they operate a furniture store without inventory?
Working as a team, Reuben and Toots had to be resourceful. They couldn’t get products. People weren’t free to drive due to rationing and gas coupons. Times were tough, but people were still in need of furniture.
At that time, a lot of stores didn’t have furniture, and it’s hard to stay in business if there’s no inventory to sell. Reuben and Toots, determined and creative, were able to keep the business going during another challenging time.Reuben would pick up any sofa he could get his hands on (even used ones), while Toots would head to Doerflingers in La Crosse, Wis., to purchase high quality fabric by the yard.
Then he would take the springs from the used sofas along with the fabric Toots picked up in La Crosse, and have an upholstery company in Minneapolis make sofas and chairs for Drury to sell in their store.
Long after World War II, while Reuben was still running the funeral business, he began offering an ambulance service. During the 1960s and 1970s his furniture trucks were getting extra mileage by hauling furniture, functioning as an ambulance, and effecting an occasional funeral service. He wanted to keep those trucks busy.
Gladys passed away on November 8, 1967. Reuben eventually married Fern Huntington on October 7, 1978, at Root Prairie Church – just outside of Fountain.
He was active in the Fountain Volunteer Fire Department, and a member of the city council, serving as the city’s mayor.
Reuben C. Drury died on April 1, 1989, leaving his family-owned furniture store in good hands.
As the Drury family celebrates this 100 year milestone, they reflect on Reuben’s legacy.
David Followed in his Father’s Footsteps
Reuben’s prodigy, David, was born into the furniture business. He didn’t know it yet, but it would be his destiny.
David doesn’t remember much about The Great Depression, as he was pretty young. He does, however, remember the days of World War II.
“I was over at my grandparents’ house on First Street in Fountain, when someone showed up and said Pearl Harbor was bombed,” recalled David. At the age of six, he didn’t know what was going on but he knew from the reactions of adults that it wasn’t good.
When the war ended in 1945, David was 10 and the Fountain Furniture Store was celebrating 20 years in business. They survived The Great Depression and WWII.
Since David grew up during a time when babysitters didn’t exist, he spent a lot of time at the store. After school each day, he would head to the store to help with whatever needed to be done.
He worked in the warehouse and broke up cardboard, swept floors, shoveled snow, and helped deliver furniture.
Back in the 1940s and 1950s, David recalls the train running through town and stopping on the northside of the Drury’s Furniture Store. The train conductor would leave a boxcar full of furniture and position it on a sidetrack before heading off to another town. Reuben, David and a part-time delivery person would unload the furniture for the store within a day, anticipating the train would return to pick up the boxcar.
David recalls all of the vibrant businesses operating in Fountain. He reflects on when Solie Drug Store became Hunt’s Variety Store, right next to the furniture store.
He graduated in 1953 from Preston-Fountain, and headed off to Hamline University to study business economics. While in college, he worked at Minneapolis House Furnishings. During the holidays, he got to sell toys and lamps in the basement. Otherwise, he was upstairs in the office.
David learned all aspects of the business, but really excelled with advertising and analyzing trends.
Even when he went away to college, he was drawn to the furniture business.
After he graduated from college in 1957, he came back to work full time for Drury’s Furniture. In 1958, he married Ora Mae Ashton of Preston, Minn.
As he worked alongside his father, he helped with each facet of the business, even the parts he didn’t enjoy – like the funeral business. In Reuben’s later years, David chose to transition their company out of the ambulance and funeral business, working closely with Riley Funeral Home.
While working alongside his father and transitioning into a leadership role for the company, he was a part of significant showroom and warehouse expansions.
As he reflects on what makes it possible for Drury’s to celebrate 100 years in business, he felt that “you need to have a family that is interested, dedicated to the business, and want to keep it going.”
David enjoys all facets of the business, but he recognizes what matters most in their business. “No matter how much advertising we do, personal recommendations are still the most important form of advertising.”
The Next Gen: Mike & Michelle
David and his wife Ora Mae had two children, Michael and Michelle.
Mike, born in 1958, started working at Drury’s when he was a teenager. He remembers a day when he was bored and hanging around the store. His grandfather, Reuben, said “If you’re going to be hanging around, here’s a broom and a dustpan.” He thinks he was about 13 years old at the time. His grandfather believed it was important to keep the kids busy working at the store.
For Mike, he could see that the furniture business was a fit for him.
While growing up in Fountain, when he wasn’t working at the furniture store, he was exploring sinkholes with his friends. Fountain has been known to have a few here and there.
Just like his father David, Mike enjoyed unloading boxcars when the train made deliveries. He recalls that about half of their furniture came by rail back in the day. The rest was delivered by a truck.
One thing that became apparent for both Mike and Michelle, is that they brought specialized talents to the business. Mike gradually became the fix-it-guy. He’s always enjoyed fixing things. As a hobby, he is a woodworker at home.
A woman from La Crosse once brought him a bucket of delicate broken pieces from an antique chair. This chair was between 130 and 140 years old. He restored her six chairs to their original condition.
Mike enjoys making customers happy and wants for them to enjoy their furniture. “Having customers come back over and over again is what makes me happy,” he shared.
Michelle, born in 1961, reflects on her days as a young child, working after school at the Village Square building, back in the 1970s. The Village Square of Fountain that is famously known for their pizza and ice cream was once the location for the bank in Fountain. After the bank moved into a newly constructed location across the street, Drury’s assumed their location to open a specialty shop called the Village Square. This is where Michelle started dusting and cleaning furniture around the age of 10.
At a young age, Michelle always knew she wanted to work at Drury’s. Early on, she found her niche in the office as the “do whatever person,” helping with bookkeeping and inventory. She eventually specialized in the areas of buying, merchandising, including visual merchandising which comprises staging displays so the store maintains a fresh appearance at all times.
For Michelle, the 100 year celebration is pretty special. She thinks back to the man who started the business, “Reuben was a character. Definitely a showman. And he knew his products.”
She recalls old sales guys like Mush Benson. There was a delivery guy, Clifford Fingerson, that she remembers from her childhood. They were characters that made Drury’s a fun place to work.
Over the years, she has always loved the product and the people – especially those she has worked with throughout the decades.
The Fourth Generation
To have a furniture business span four generations is beyond a rarity, and that’s what makes this 100 year celebration so special. Over the past century, more than 50 furniture stores have come and gone in the Rochester area alone.
This next generation brings even more talent to the table for Drury’s.
Andrea Drury, born in 1979, is the daughter of Mike Drury and Virginia Nash.
Just like earlier generations of young Drurys, she did odds and ends jobs when she was a kid.
Over the years, she has always loved working with customers. “I really do like selling furniture and I like the flexibility of the job. Building relationships in a very short period of time. Serving generations of families and friends for referrals.”
Andrea currently serves as a salesperson and design consultant. And, she’s proud of the people she works with. “We work our butts off. Mike does the customer service really well. Michelle is fantastic at finding the best product to fit the market.”
Shawn Drury, the youngest of three, is also the daughter of Mike Drury and Virginia Nash.
For Shawn, she enjoyed playing hide and seek in the furniture store with cousins Chelsie and Kate, and she enjoyed running and jumping from mattress to mattress until they got in trouble.
Shawn started dusting and vacuuming when she was seven years old. When she was in high school, she worked at Olivia’s Attic, Drury’s boutique furniture store located in downtown Lanesboro.
Today, she enjoys staging the floors. She loves interior design and decorating, along with making house calls.
For her, the Drury’s difference relates to communication with clients. “Our responsibility with clients, before, during and after the purchase.” That’s what makes a difference.
Justin Redalen, son of Jeff and Michelle Redalen, is the eldest of the three.
“When I was a kid, I sold carpet samples on the sidewalk with my cousin, Chad. People used the carpet samples as floor mats for their vehicles. We sold them for 50 cents a piece.”
Today, Justin balances his time between working in the warehouse and sales on the floor. He can switch gears pretty easily.
On the sales side, Justin understands the dynamics of the Drury’s Furniture position in the marketplace. As they compete with numerous stores in the bigger cities, “When people come to Fountain, it’s deliberate. We are a little bit lucky rather than being in Rochester, we are a destination. You don’t end up at Drury’s by accident. You’ve seen an advertisement. A lot of it is word-of-mouth. A lot of people have been everywhere. They aren’t finding the people or the products.”
Regarding the reason Drury’s has made it to the 100 year mark, Justin feels that is because they are reliable. “We are not the highest price or lowest price. It’s the best price for the value.”
Daughter to Jeff and Michelle Redalen, Katelin Redalen Ehler is the youngest of three children and the youngest of six Drury family cousins.
At age 6 or 7, she recalls “helping” clean with the cleaning lady at Drury’s.
She also helped with mailing documents before e-mails existed, and sometimes shredding documents. Managing paperwork is a never ending job.
Growing up working at Drury’s, she has fond memories of customer appreciation night. “It was a huge deal. People would line up outside down the street. They’d get free hot dogs. Hundreds of customers would attend these events.” They had a clicker to keep track, and Katelin recalls counting 700 people coming through one door. “We still do it, but we have expanded it to a customer appreciation week.” That started when COVID came along.
She started working at Olivia’s Attic when she was 16, during the summer months.
After college, she worked in corporate America handling digital marketing and a lot of e-marketing.
Today, she manages all facets of marketing for Drury’s Furniture. In addition, she works in rotation on the sales floor selling furniture.
Katelin feels that Drury’s is similar to a boutique experience. “Where we separate ourselves from our competition is with our customer care.”
As Katelin reflects on the success of Drury’s Furniture over the past 100 years, she is amazed at what lengths Reuben and Toots had to do to stay in business. “He came from nothing, and was bound and determined to succeed.”
Employees Make a Difference
As the family members take a trip down memory lane, they keep saying that Drury’s would not be where it is today without the amazing employees who have made a difference.
Brian Asleson, the warehouse manager, has been with Drury’s for 38 years.
A.J. Jenkins, who has been a part of the company for 24 years, works with versatility in the warehouse, workshop, delivery and service.
Office Services Manager Chris Root has been with Drury’s for 12 years.
Gina Jaquith, controller, has been with Drury’s 13 years.
Two sales and design experts have a combined 48 years of experience with Drury’s. Tracey Lambrecht has worked on the sales and design side for over 25 years. Kevin Larson, who has a large loyal following, has been with Drury’s for 23 years.
Jonathan Bruening, 10 years, and Dustin Ferrie, seven years, have put on thousands of miles safely, without incident, while delivering and setting up items in a way that makes every customer happy.
Mike Drury said he receives about 50 calls per year from customers telling him how impressed they are with the Drury’s delivery crew.
The family still talks about wonderful employees like Chuck Jeffers, who was with the company for 51 years. Joyce Nagel 32 years. Rich Bjortomt 43 years. And, then there was Mush Benson who was so dedicated he would often stay late, waiting for customers to arrive when it worked best for their schedule.
Years of service is often a good indicator of a welcoming culture, and Drury’s Furniture has a lot of long-time employees.
Community Connections
The relationship between the Fountain furniture store and the local bank dates back to the beginning – 100 years ago.
Chuck Johnson is the grandson of Hiram Johnson, a third generation banker with the bank in Fountain and Root River State Bank in Chatfield, Minn.
“I believe that Hiram and Reuben had such a good relationship that Hiram would advance funds to the business on just a handshake. Maybe $500, which was quite a bit in those times. Hiram had great faith in the potential success of the business and in the character of Reuben,” shared Johnson.
“My father thought that Reuben and David were good salespeople and were conservative in their management of the business. Dad was a big cheerleader for Drury’s and encouraged people to take the short drive from Rochester to Fountain to shop at Drury’s. In fact, my mother was a frequent customer, and my dad really could not complain to her about spending money at Drury’s, given the fact that he was so supportive of the business. He really didn’t have a leg to stand on in those discussions,” offered Johnson.
Chuck Johnson said that when David became more involved things really took off.”
Chuck’s father and grandfather thought that “the success of Drury’s came down to selling quality furniture at a reasonable price, honesty in their dealings with their customers, excellent reputation, small town service, and free delivery of furniture within 125 miles of Fountain.”
He also feels that Drury’s is a vital ingredient to the success of Fountain. “Our small town has Drury’s to be thankful for, as their presence in Fountain has greatly helped putting Fountain on the map and this continues to the present time. We have been fortunate to work alongside Drury’s since their beginning and I can say that we have had a mutually beneficial relationship. We congratulate them on their 100 years and four generations of success!”
Chuck concluded with, “Finally, my wife is a consistent customer of Drury’s, and, like my dad, I better not complain about the expenditures!”
Milestones
Reuben Drury’s vision has flourished far beyond where it began.
The original store was 1,750 square feet in 1925.
In 1967, the business was incorporated and became simply “Drury’s.” Also, Drury’s Drapery Studio, a custom drapery business operated by Ora Mae Drury was opened in 1967.
Today, Drury’s offers nearly 35,000 square feet of displays, all designed to bring the consumer the best values in quality home furnishings and fully accessorized displays.
Certainly, Reuben C. Drury, the man who started it all, would be proud. The Drury’s Furniture store in Fountain, Minn., has thrived with each generation. As his son, David, passed the torch onto his children Mike and Michelle, their children have joined the business. Four out of six of Reuben’s great-grandchildren work at the store he started when he was 20 years old.
Drury’s has quite an amazing story, and celebrating 100 years is certainly an important milestone to share with the community.
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