A Beautifully Furnished Life

In the nearly five decades since Van and Mary Lou Dick first opened Van’s TV & Appliance in Angola, a lot has changed.

“When Van & Mary Lou first opened the doors in 1973, it was pretty much a TV and electronics servicing business. As things grew, they maintained the service arm of the business, but also started selling those products, later adding appliances and furniture in the store on South Wayne Street,” says Van’s Home Center Marketing Director, Brittany Brouer. 

After a move to Auburn more than two decades ago, they stuck with furniture and appliances, phasing out TVs and electronics. Mattresses and flooring were eventually added and, most recently, cabinets and countertops. Other offerings also include tile for floors, showers and kitchen backsplashes. 

“In the last five years we’ve really expanded. We renovated the main showroom, added the flooring showroom and added the new appliance showroom. We also added a live kitchen showroom, complete with cabinets and countertops so customers can see the total package and draw design inspiration from them. We most recently built out a new mattress gallery and a new warehouse. Our existing warehouse that’s attached to the store is eventually going to become additional showroom space,” Brouer says. 

Van and Mary Lou’s son, Doug, is now the second-generation owner while their daughter, Julie, acts as sales manager. The third generation is also part of the team. “This is very much a family-run business,” says Brouer. “We have husbands and wives who work here, a father and daughter, and employees whose families have been close friends with the Dick family for decades.”

The company’s commitment to keep pushing forward over the years is one thing that has kept Van’s Home Center so relevant. “When people think about something being family-owned, they picture a mom-and-pop shop. That’s not what you get when you come here. Of course, you have the special touch of a local, family-owned business, but you’re also immersed in 75,000 square feet of everything you need for your home.”

Another source of pride for Van’s is the service the staff provides after the sale. 

“We have our own professional installers who work for us, so if you buy flooring we can install it. If you buy appliances, we have techs who are trained and certified on our different brands. Anything you buy from us, we will service. If you have an issue down the road, instead of calling an 800 number for the manufacturer, you call us. We have our own in-house delivery teams, too, so that sets us apart from a lot of the big-box stores,” Brouer says. 

Van’s carries virtually every major furniture, appliance and mattress brand available in the market today, and at all price points. Available brands include Ashley, Flexsteel and Klaussner furniture; GE, Whirlpool, Samsung, Sub-Zero and LG appliances; Serta, Tempur-Pedic and Beautyrest mattresses, and more. Because the store is part of a large buying group, it can pass the savings onto its customers through pricing that matches or beats the big-box stores. 

“Whether you’re building a new home, remodeling or if you just need a new sofa, mattress, dining table or washer, you can come here and check any box on your list,” explains Brouer. “We can cater to essentially any budget and any home’s style, echoing our hallmark phrase, “Any Room. Every Home.” If your budget is $1,500 for a living room set, we can find you something. We also have customers who come in and have a $50,000 appliance budget, which we can cater to as well.”

Brouer stresses that Van’s gives the best of both worlds: competitive pricing with an emphasis on customer service. 

“I think people like to shop local these days and support local businesses. I also think people like the fact that they can come in and see the product, compared to shopping online,” Brouer says. “Being able to come here to speak with a well-trained, knowledgeable person about the products you’re interested in and experience the personalized touch of a family-owned business — that makes a huge difference in the buyer journey.” 

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