Brian Osterfeld stands inside Sofa Express, 217 W. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, which opened in November. (EXAMINER PHOTO | Mandy Loehr)
A former warehouse nestled in downtown Bellefontaine that previously served Tanger’s Furniture has come full circle during the past year. Following a 10-month extensive renovation and restoration project, a new furniture store — Sofa Express — has opened in a fully refurbished 217 W. Columbus Ave. storefront.
Sofa Express unveiled its new showroom and store to customers in November. It features quality living room and family room furniture and mattresses at affordable prices.
Owners Brian and Mandy Osterfeld, who also run Tanger’s Furniture just across the street, saw this as a business opportunity to cater to a different type of customer with a simple and straight-forward shopping experience.
“We wanted to offer another furniture shopping experience that is easy, fast and affordable,” Brian said. “Keeping it local is the goal. We’re seeing small towns lose their furniture stores, and we don’t want that to happen.
“Sofa Express is super easy and affordable, about 20 percent cheaper than your average furniture store. We buy factory direct and in bulk, so we’re able to keep our prices very affordable. All of the items that you see in the storefront are stocked and available for purchase the same day and ready to take home.
“I think people are really enjoying it; they’re loving the prices and the styles we carry here. Our response so far has been very positive.”
The owners also are thrilled with the results of the building renovation process for Sofa Express, which included restoring the original hardwood floors, exposing the original brick walls and installing new storefront windows in the original window sizes.
They expressed appreciation to all of the local contractors who played a role in transforming the building, which previously has served Bellefontaine in a variety of purposes over the years, including as a grocery store, auto parts store and as a pawn shop.
“We’ve received so many compliments on the transformation at Sofa Express. We wanted to acknowledge and thank everyone who made it possible. We couldn’t have done it without your help and couldn’t be happier to have saved this old building,” the owners said in a recent Facebook post, acknowledging professional assistance performed by: Citizens Federal Savings and Loan, Watkins Electric, Strayer Mechanical, High Point Heating & Cooling, Kenton Carpet Care, Gates Brothers Glass Shops, Home Restoration, Lee’s Roofing Inc., Beasley Architecture & Design, and Pat Culp from Vital Signs and Advertising.
In addition to the beautiful new storefront, customers can shop online at sofa-xpress.com as well. “You can pre-shop online and then come in and touch and feel the fabric, and sit on the furniture and see how you like it,” Brian said. “I think people appreciate that they can come in, and really know what they’re getting.”
It’s a very relaxed environment, with no pressure. Each piece of furniture has a tag with a QR code that you can scan, and then you can check it out online and even see payment options.”
The owners noted that payment options online include utilizing Shop Pay for interest-free financing to pay for the furniture in smaller, monthly installments.
“We know that money is tight for a lot of people right now, but that doesn’t mean that the need for new furniture goes away,” said Brian.
“You might not want to put a furniture purchase on a credit card with a high interest rate, so instead, you can utilize the Shop Pay option to make small monthly payments on your new furniture.”
Sofa Express also offers free shipping within 50 miles of the store, or customers can pick up their items the same day.
Brian noted some of the differences between the new business and Tanger’s Furniture, which is one of Bellefontaine’s oldest stores that now has been in business for 80 years.
Tanger’s Furniture features a full-line of furniture and many options for customization, with products ranging from living room, dining room, bedroom and office furniture, along with mattresses and commercial office furniture. The business recently added appliances to the offerings as well.
“Tanger’s offers everything from starter furniture to handcrafted furniture,” Brian said. “While some of the items you can take home the same day, other items you’ll custom order and then will wait to receive it.
“At Sofa Express, we can deliver the furniture to right to your door. For customers at Tanger’s, we take the items into your home and set it up for you, and even remove furniture that you don’t want anymore.”
Sofa Express also has a second location in Napoleon, Ohio, opened by the Osterfelds’ business partner Chris Chamberlin, who also operates a full-scale furniture store nearby the new storefront as well.
The Bellefontaine Sofa Express is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The business is closed on Sunday and Monday. The store can be reached by call or text at (419) 581-9282.
