Bedrooms & More closing in Wallaceburg

Special to the Sydenham Current

After 42 years in business, Bedrooms & More in Wallaceburg is closing their doors.

In a town famous for its manufacturing history, Bedrooms & More has been producing quality wooden products for over four decades.

Founded in 1977 as Wallaceburg Woodworking, owner Fernando Coelho first began by making windows and doors at the original shop on Water Street.

Originally from near Braga, Portugal, Coelho grew up watching and learning the trade from skilled European craftsman, eventually bringing this tradition of old world craftsmanship with him when he moved to Wallaceburg in 1966.

The business moved to its present location of Highway 40, just south of Wallaceburg, after the original location was destroyed by fire in April, 1984.

By this time Coelho had began to employ his skills in building home furnishings at a time when waterbeds were the must have craze.

Within a short time, and eventually under the name of C&A Waterbeds, the operation was providing waterbed products across North America; earning itself a local moniker, “the waterbed place,” which has been imprinted locally like ‘the Brass’, and ‘the Glass’ before it.

By the mid 90’s Coelho’s son Nelson became more heavily involved in the operation of the business and the father and son operation began to offer a wider selection of bedroom furniture, both locally and through independent furniture stores from coast to coast, under the present name of Bedrooms & More MFG.

In teaming up with numerous Mennonite builders, who shared a passion for the same tradition of craftsmanship, Bedrooms & More provided a full spectrum of quality furniture rarely found today.

But now as the Coelho’s set to retire the 42 year old family business their minds turn to thank the community that has supported them all these years.
“You can’t be in business for four decades without the support of the local community,” said Nelson Coelho.

“Wallaceburg has been so great to us all these years.”

But as the business draws to a close, the Coelho family is preparing for one final thank-you to the Chatham-Kent community.

The storefront was closed during the Family Day weekend so that the Coelho’s could focus on building out their remaining stocks of lumber into some of their most popular products, which will be sold to the local public at significant reduced prices on a yet to be scheduled date in March.

Coelho noted that “probably around the March break we will have built enough to open the store up for one last thank you and goodbye, we’re just so thankful for this community’s support all these years.”

The date of the stores final send-off will be announced closer to the date.

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