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American Signature, Inc. is a privately owned furniture company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is the parent company of the retail brands American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture, and the manufacturer brand American Signature.

American Signature Furniture^[1] and Value City Furniture^[2] sell residential furniture manufactured by American Signature, Inc., as well as more than 30 additional manufacturers from 125 locations around the East Coast, Midwest, and Southeastern United States.^[3]

History

Clothing store entrepreneur E.L. Schottenstein adapted his successful apparel store to sell furniture in the early 1900s after the post-World War II baby boom accelerated demand for furniture. Recognizing the expanding opportunity, Schottenstein created a separate business dedicated to furniture sales, later renaming it Value City Furniture.^{[citation needed]}

Alvin Schottenstein and Value City Furniture

In 1948, E.L. Schottenstein’s son, Alvin, took over the furniture portion of the family company and Value City Furniture.

Jay Schottenstein and American Signature, Inc.

In 1976, Jay Schottenstein joined Value City Furniture and in 1984, he was named company president. In 1995, the proprietary furniture brand American Signature was formed. This line was sold in Value City Furniture stores.

With the addition of the proprietary American Signature brand, and the overall expansion of Value City Furniture, Jay knew it was time to completely break away from the department stores. In 2002, American Signature, Inc. was formed, and eventually the company completely separated from Schottenstein Stores Corporation.

American Signature, Inc. became the parent company of the retail brand Value City Furniture and the manufacturer brand, American Signature. In 2003, the company announced the launch of the American Signature Furniture retail brand, with their first store opening in Nashville, Tennessee.^[4]

Today

American Signature, Inc. continues to own and operate 120 stores across 18 U.S. states through their American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture banners, offering living, dining, and bedroom furniture, various home furnishings, and outdoor patio pieces.^[5]

References