White Furniture and Appliance was founded by Sam Olstein in 1946. He sold a variety of household items from furniture and mattresses, all the way to gas ranges, refrigerators and washing machines. His son, Jeffrey Olstein, came to work for him on Saturdays at age 11. Starting from the bottom up, Jeffrey learned the ins and outs of the business. After after graduation in 1971 from the Detroit Institute of Technology, Jeffrey began to work for his father full-time.
Jeffrey brought major changes to White Furniture. Under his father, he upgraded the merchandise from the original format of “Three Rooms of Furniture for $299” and brought in higher quality pieces. When Jeffrey assumed ownership from his father in 1980, he changed their business methodology: White Furniture no longer carried appliances, and they began associations with better quality furniture companies. Today, White Furniture now carries over 150 brands of furniture, accessories & mattresses.
In 1985, Scott Jordan joined White Furniture, working after school and on weekends. Like Jeff, he started at the bottom. Scott had every job possible in a furniture store, from stock to delivery to service to manager. Jeff and Scott formed a succession plan to make sure that White Furniture would continue beyond Jeff’s retirement. In 2012, Jeff officially retired but continued to help and advise the next generation. White Furniture has had a tradition of customer service that continues. Even though Jeff has been retired for over a decade, he continues to volunteer to come in and help and give advice. It is the people at White Furniture that make it a success.
White Furniture continues to evolve, as there is a major update of something almost every year. Whether it is an aesthetic change such as new front windows, fresh walls, new lighting, or room settings, or a technological upgrade for everyone’s convenience, White Furniture continues to remain fresh. White Furniture has taken the fear out of custom ordering with constant changes to the custom design center and the video catalog system that allows showing different fabrics on different frames or what a custom dining set might look like. White Furniture truly is the leader in having furniture your way more brands are being added on a regular basis so there are always more choices. White Furniture has come a long way since Sam started his "One Man Furniture Store", making deliveries in his stake pickup at the close of each business day.
White Furniture has been serving Southeast Michigan for 76 years now. We credit our longevity to loyal clients who also refer their friends and family. White Furniture is known for giving clients high quality, custom furniture at competitive prices. That tradition continues. The showroom is full of furniture and accessories. If they don’t have exactly what you’re looking for in stock, they are more than happy to special order for you.
