Brand Mix

I remember when I first arrived in the U.S., some 20 years ago, driving all the way from Santa Barbara to Oxnard, an 80 mile round trip, just to go to a Levitz store. And being absolutely appalled by the furniture which I remember as being almost uniformly beige.

Having gone all that way I had to buy something, so I bought a foam chair that folded-out into a very narrow and spongy mattress. I can't remember how much it cost. Hopefully not much more than $20. I rarely sat in the chair and never used it to sleep on but I did keep it for years and years, in fact until I got married when my wife cleaned house of this and other relics.

So, it's surprising for me to hear that Levitz has only just now filed for bankruptcy. I would have thought they were long gone. Maybe the furniture got better over the years (I wouldn't know since I never went back and the web site picture above suggests not.) or maybe there was just enough of a market for the spongy, beige and ugly for them to limp along until now.