June 27 was an unusual day for Bob Grevior, to say the least. Near the middle of that day, the second floor of his business, Grevior Furniture in Franklin, collapsed into the first floor of his mattress showroom. Housed in what was most recently the Allstate Insurance office, the showroom is part of a building Grevior bought in the late ‘50s from the former owner of Franklin Furniture. This second building was added to the building his father Nathan Grevior bought in 1932 and greatly increased his floor space.

“We had just filled the room with a huge inventory we bought in anticipation of our 80th anniversary sale,” said Bob. “I was amazed to hear a loud groan coming from the showroom. When I ran to see what caused the noise, I found that the ceiling had come partway down, and a young policeman, his wife, and one-month old baby had narrowly escaped through the door.”

Within an hour and a half the ceiling had completely fallen. Says Bob, “We could look up and see that somewhere along the line, before I bought the building, the original heavy beams which supported the floor had been cut clear through, for what reason I do not know, and why this didn’t happen sooner I do not know.”

Thankfully, the weather was warming and the gas heat was off. “Had the gas been in use, there most likely would have been a flash fire,” he said gratefully. “The Franklin Fire Department was incredible that day, truly remarkable.”

Grevior’s Furniture was shut down for eight weeks while repairs were made. The completely destroyed furniture was cleared out. Signs appeared on the storefront windows saying, “Disaster has struck. Everything must go.”

Bob explains, “The anniversary stock bill has come due. This necessitates cash flow because there is not, as yet, an insurance settlement. So we have to liquidate our other inventory to cover it. Some people thought, looking at the signs, that we are going out of business. We are not.”

The outpouring of sentiment and support overwhelms Bob. “My wife Andrea, my son Jason, and I are very touched by the way the community has rallied to our side. It is gratifying to know that we enjoy the goodwill of our neighbors, friends, and customers. The sale is going okay. Grevior Furniture has made it through three fires and two floods. Now we have survived the ceiling falling in. Last night we even made it through an earthquake. We hope to be around for many more years.”