The mood in Mulberry was melancholy as news spread across the small city that Badco*ck Home Furniture was closing all its stores across the southeastern United States.
At age 8, Mayor George Hatch recalled ringing the doorbell at the large family home of the Badco*cks in Mulberry for generous amounts of candies on Halloween nights, and politely declining offers by the family matriarch of a second handful.
Hatch, a former principal at Mulberry High School for 12 years, said he worked as a teenager for the Badco*ck family during childhood breaks from school. As a young adult, he worked there between semesters at college.
Gas was 30 cents a gallon when the Badco*ck's paid him $1.25 an hour during his college years from 1968 to 1972 at a warehouse. He recalled also working on the freight crew and changing oil in the truck garage.
"I will tell you, the Badco*cks put me through college," Hatch said. "Every time I had a day off, you know, a summer off or a Christmas off, they hired me."
Hatch said the responses on social media demonstrated the mood of the city where the Badco*ck furniture business began with a single store and where it was headquartered.
"You can look on Facebook and see all the responses from people that are sad because all them people are going to lose their jobs."
Banners atop the Badco*ck website on Friday advertised going-out-of-business sales of 30% to 50% off for both online and in-store purchases. The company posted to its Facebook page that all of its stores are closing.
According to a history of Badco*ck Furniture on its website, Henry Stanhope Badco*ck founded the W.S. Badco*ck Corporation in 1904. An immigrant from England, Henry founded the first Badco*ck store in Mulberry.
He operated a single store in Mulberry for 16 years until 1920, when his son Wogan bought the store around the time the 1929 land boom in Florida helped grow the business.
Since 2021, Badco*ck has been purchased by two other entitles, including Conn’s HomePlus, a 134-year-old Texas-based furniture company that bought Badco*ck in December.
Before that, Badco*ck was purchased in November 2021 by Franchise Group Inc., a privately-heldholding company that acquires and manages mainly franchise companies, including American Freight, Buddy's Home Furnishings, The Vitamin Shoppe, Pet Supplies Plus and Sylvan Learning. Franchise GrouppurchasedBadco*ck in acash transaction valued at approximately$580 million, The Ledger previously reported.
Badco*ck has at least four locations in the Lakeland area and many others across Polk County and Florida. The company website listed two locations in Winter Haven, and other stores in Davenport and Haines City. Hatch said he grew up with friends that had at least one store in Fort Meade and in Eagle Lake.
"All good people," he said of the local store dealers. He also said the Badco*ck family was generous, donating appliances to the high school concession stand in Mulberry as well as local chambers of commerce and churches.
Bartow Mayor Trish Pfeiffer posed to Facebook: "Very, very sad to here this news. My heart goes out to all the store owners, employees, and customers." She also noted how helpful the store owners in Bartow wee over the years.
Conn's HomePlus closings
On Tuesday, Conn’s HomePlus announced plans to close at least 73 locations across 13 states. Florida will lose the most, with Conn's HomePlus shuttering 18 of the state's 21 locations.
Within the past year, Conn’s opened a large warehouse-sized store visible from Interstate 4 in Lakeland. While the store did not appear on a list of locations to be closed, signs in its windows on Friday announced going-out-of-business sales and "everything must go."
The Texas-based chain Conn's operates more than 170 stores in 15 states across the southern United States and employs over 4,000 people, the company's website says.
In December 2023, the company acquired Badco*ck, giving the company 550 stores across 15 states between the two brands.
A sad and heartfelt post was made to Facebook from a Badco*ck dealer in Bonifay.
"It's with heavy hearts that we come to you to let you know what is going on. We want you to hear it directly from us," they said. "We found out Tuesday afternoon, after 120 years, Badco*ck Home Furnishings and more will be closing ALL stores. Yes EVERY store. Like you we are shocked and overwhelmed. We feel like a family member has died. We've shed many many tears over the last few days and have prayed more than we ever have."
The dealer also wrote the corporate decision-making was not theirs nor their customer's fault. After Conn's bought Badco*ck, their pricing on appliances did help business, however.
"What we didn't know, was that Conns was already a sinking ship before acquiring Badco*ck," the post said. "We have thought of Badco*ck as the little lifeboat, floating out in the big ocean. As Conn's sunk deeper and deeper, they grabbed ahold of Badco*ck, sinking the little lifeboat with the big ship."
The dealer also wrote that going-out-of-business sales will offer bargains for customers right away. "The courts have granted them 90 days for the liquidation process."
Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Conn's were unsuccessful.
