Faller’s Furniture, Faller’s Funeral Home and Fryburg Old Treasures Depot are all part of the oldest family run businesses in the area.  Five generations have successfully continued to provide their customers professional service with a personal touch.

It all began in 1847 with Jacob Faller, Jr., whose trade was building wagons and coffins.  Since he received only fifty cents to three dollars for a coffin, mostly paid for with potatoes or other farm products, he expanded his business into making hand crafted furniture.  He opened The Faller Furniture Store in 1860 in Fryburg, Pennsylvania with one portion of the building a furniture and one portion a funeral home.  The building was destroyed by a cyclone in 1890.  It was rebuilt but in 1908 it was destroyed by fire.  The present building at 19255 Route 208, Fryburg, Pennsylvania is the third building on the site to house one of the multi-generation businesses.  One of the unique features of the building is the hand operated elevator driven by counter weight and arm power, pulled from the center.  It has a maximum of 500 pounds and is one of the few remaining elevators of its kind in the United States.

With each generation, minor changes were made to the services provided and to the same of the business.  Faller Funeral Home, now operated by Henry Faller, great-grandson of Jacob Faller, Jr., was moved to a separate building in Fryburg near the original store. Today the furniture store is known as Faller’s Furniture.  In December 1999, Faller’s Furniture relocated to 624 Main Street, Clarion, Pennsylvania and their Fryburg location was transformed into Fryburg Old Treasures Depot. 

Gregory Faller and his wife Roberta run Faller’s Furniture, a legacy from his great-grandfather, grandfather and father.  The move to Clarion from Fryburg was in part of convenience for their many Clarion customers.  The store is now located in the Ditz building at 624 Main Street, Clarion and previously house DEP Office Supply and Booksmith Trading.  Faller said, “The second floor hadn’t been used for many years, so we had a lot of major repairs to do before opening [in 2000].”  Since the move, they have added a few new lines of furniture, but they maintain the quality and workmanship in everything they offer.  Along with furniture, they feature home accessories, carpeting, interior design service and custom window treatments.  Roberta said, “We pride ourselves in providing nice products for reasonable prices.”  The Fallers considered the Fryburg location a “destination stop” where customers drove there for the purpose of buying furniture.  The new Clarion location has attracted the lunch hour crowd, university students and walk-ins, substantially increasing business.  The Fallers credit much of their success to their long-time employees. Their staff includes five full-time employees and three part-time employees who are prepared to answer all of your furnishing and home design questions.  Faller noted that “we have served many generations of the general public.”  The Mission Statement for Faller’s Furniture is: “To help our customers understand not just how to buy our products, but how to use our products to enhance their quality of life.”

Gregory Faller, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and his wife, Roberta, who earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, have two sons, Adam and Evan and two granddaughter, Shelby and Avery Rose.

When Faller’s Furniture relocated to Clarion, the building in Fryburg was used as a warehouse.  As fate would have it, a lady asked to display some items she wanted to sell in the warehouse window.  After receiving other similar requests, Faller realized that vendors needed a place to display and sell their antiques and collectibles and as the saying goes, “The rest is history.”  The building at 19255 Route 208, Fryburg, Pennsylvania was renamed Fryburg Old Treasures Depot.  Over 100 vendors fill three floors of the Depot with displays that include antiques, collectibles, furniture, jewelry, books and items by local artisans.  With 11,000 sq. ft. of display area set up in a grid pattern, the inventory in the Depot is varied and ever-changing.  As English poet Butler said, “The great source of pleasure is variety.”

As people leisurely stroll from one display to the next, they can be heard saying, “I remember my grandmother had one of these.” Or “Oh, my gosh! I had one of these when I was little.  I wonder what ever happened to it.”

Adam Faller, Manager of Fryburg Old Treasures Depot, is the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the family businesses.  His staff includes two full time and three part time employees, who are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.  They will provide assistance in finding a specific item by scanning keywords in the vendors’ listings on the computer.  If a certain item is not available, they maintain a card file of items that customers request.  When the requested item becomes available, the customer is contacted.

“People collect everything imaginable, “said Faller, “from pen knives to pottery, to crystal, to dolls.  About 90% of the people who come in the store are looking for something specific to add to their collection.”  Glassware, toys and pottery continue to hold their popularity.  One of the largest single pottery displays on the first floor belongs to Joanne Beary.  They have on of the most complete collections of Purinton Pottery and are arguably experts on the pieces, many of which were manufactured in Clarion County.  “Our vendors are quality people and they display quality items,” said Faller.  “Each item has a story and each new day is a learning experience for me.”

“Antiques” have been described by some as any item over 100 years old.  Collectibles can be anything that evokes a memory in the collector, whether it is a 150 year old tin candle mold or an action figure from a fast food restaurant.  For example, “A lot of guys collect Zippo lighters,” said Faller.  “Many items, such as crocks, are both antique and collectible.”  Faller said he collects fire fighting memorabilia, since he is a volunteer with the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department.  He stated that whether it’s the age of an item, the memory of an event tied to the item or just plain nostalgia, “Everybody collects something.”

The Depot’s Guest Register includes not only the names of local customers, but names of people from as far away as Alaska, England and Germany, where Jacob Faller family originated.

With the exception of Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Depot is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The contact Fryburg Old Treasures Depot for more information call 814-354-2288 or Email: adam@fryburgdepot.com. Also visit www.fryburgdepot.com for more information.

Faller’s Furniture hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. To contact one of their trained design consultants or for more information, call 814-233-4600 or visit their website www.fallersfurniture.com.