Haynes Brothers’ Furniture: 78 Years and 4 Generations of Local History
Years have gone by and we have watched our community go through an enormous amount of changes. Despite how different things are now, compared to how they used to be, some things stay the same:
It can be sunny and also storming, at the same time.
The beach is a blessing and we should protect it.
Haynes Brothers Furniture.
Newcomers don’t know it, but Haynes Brothers’ Furniture has been around for 78 years. The iconic logo and “Granny Haynes” are very much a part of the fabric of our community.
Back in 1934, Hobart and Estelle Haynes migrated to Florida from their home on an Alabama farm. It did not take long for Hobart to get into the furniture business, working for and then running Mather’s Furniture in Sanford. Pretty soon, Hobart and Estelle left Sanford, buying Riverside Furniture on 2nd Ave in Daytona, in 1942.
Shortly after Hobart and Estelle purchased Riverside Furniture, Hobart tragically passed at the young age of 34. Estelle did remarry but unfortunately, her new husband Ernest Poitevient, also died young, at 38.
Now windowed twice, Estelle was left to run the furniture store which was to become her family legacy, passed down from one generation to the next, for an incredible 4 generations.
After the original Riverside Furniture was sold in 1956, the Haynes family bought Welcome Travelers Furniture on S. Yonge St, in Ormond Beach.
A handful of years later, Tom Haynes left college where he was studying business administration to join the family business. His brother Doyle was already working in the business, so upon his joining, it was renamed Haynes Brothers’ Furniture.
Ever since then, “Haynes Brothers’ Furniture” has been a staple in the Daytona Beach area, its iconic orange and brown signs watching from above, signaling the presence of home and comfort.
Estelle, “Grandma Haynes” remained an integral part of the business well into her mid-80s. She passed some years ago at age 101 but her positive nature and ability to find the good in people are lasting family and business lessons.
Members of the Haynes family are known to tell a story about what needs to be done to keep a family business harmonious.
It is the story of two mountain goats that meet on a very narrow trail, one heading up and the other heading down. It is expected that they will fight, trying to get past each other, but instead, when they meet, one kneels down so the other can step over, allowing both to get where they want to go.
“That is how you keep a family business together. Somebody every once in a while has to get down and let the other guy have his say,” the Haynes family explains.
Another reason for the family success is that no one is pressured to join the family business. Although most are expected to work summers and after school, none are made to feel forced to make the furniture business their career.
“In our family, we’ve always said do what you want to do. They never pressured us,” said Steve Haynes, 49. “But, for most of us, we grew up in it, and Granny made it family. It’s rare to have two generations. It’s phenomenal for three, but we’re unique with four.”
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