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EMILY:..FIRST AT NOON -- A

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT THIS

MORNING.ART VAN IS BECOMING A

THING OF THE

PAST.TOM:..THE COMPANY IS

SHUTTING DOWN OPERATIONS AND

WILL START LIQUIDATING ITS

ASSESTS áTOMORROW.

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NEWS 8'S DONOVAN LONG LEADS

OUR COVERAGE THIS AFTEROON

LIVE FROM THE ART VAN ON 28TH

STREET IN GRAND RAPIDS.

DONOVAN?

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DONOVAN:..EMILY AND TOM--ART

VAN IS CLOSING ITS DOORS FOR

GOOD--AFFECTING THIRTY-ONE

HUNDRED WORKERS IN THE MIDWEST.

WE'RE TOLD THE COMPANY IS

GOING OUT OF BUSINESSES

BECAUSE IT HAS STUGGLED TO

KEEP UP IN A COMPETITVIE

RETAIL ENVINRONEMNT.

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AS A RESULT--THE COMPANY WILL

BEGIN LIQUIDATING ALL OF ITS

STORES TOMRROW.THAT INLCUDES

SEVEN ART VAN LOCATION AND SIX

PURE SLEEP LOCATIONS IN WEST

MICHIGAN. YOU CAN SEE WHERE

THEY ARE LOCATED RIGHT NOW ON

YOUR SCREEN.

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WE'RE TOLD LEVIN FURNITURE AND

WOLF FURNITURE STORES, WHICH

ART VAN ACQUIRED THREE YEARS

AGO, WILL BE SOLD BACK TO

ROBERT LEVIN, PENDING COURT

APPROVAL.ART VAN FURNITURE

STARTED IN 1959 AS A SINGLE

STORE IN DETRIOIT. A

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE COMPANY

SAYS SHE EXTENDED A SINCERE

APPRECIATION TO THE EMPLOYEES

FOR THEIR DEDICATION,

COMMITMENT AND HARD WORK AND

IS GRATEFULT TO ALL THE

CUSTOMERS WHOV'E SUPPORTED THE

COMPANY.

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(( DIANE CHARLES / ART VAN

SPOKESPERSON // THIS IS A VERY

SAD DAY FOR ART VAN AND THE

STATE OF MICHIGAN. FOR DECADES

WE HAVE BEEN IN PEOPLE'S HOMES

AND NOW WE WON'T BE. IT'S NOT

JUST IMPACTING EMPLOYEES, BUT

COMMUNITIES. REMEMBER, WE DO

SUPPORT THINGS LIKE THE PARADE

AND THE SPORTS COMPLEX AND

HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF

CHARITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE

OF MICHIGAN ))

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DONOVAN:..

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DONOVAN:..ART VAN FURNITURE

OPERATES NEARLY 200 STORES IN

SEVERAL MIDWEST STATES AND IN

IOWA PENNSYLVANIA VIRGINIA AND

PENNSYLVANIA IOWA PENNSYLVANIA

VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND.THE MAN

WHO FOUNDED THE COMPANY-ART

VAN ELSLANDER-DIED TWO YEARS

AGO.LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS

DONOVAN LONG L

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EMILY:..YOU HEARD DIANE

CHARLES MENTION THIS DURING

HER INTERVIEW WITH DONOVAN...

HERE IN WEST MICHIGAN, ART VAN

HAS BEEN MORE THAN JUST A

FURNITURE STORE.

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FOR YEARS THEY HAVE SPONOSORED

THE ART VAN SANTA PARADE

THROUGH DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS.

THIS IS VIDEO FROM OUR

BROADCAST OF THE PARADE LAST

NOVEMBER.

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ART VAN ALSO SPONSORED THE

SPORTS COMPLEX THAT OPENED IN

2014 IN ROCKFORD.THERE ARE

EIGHT BASEBALL FIELDS AT THE

FACILITY -- THAT HOSTS

TOURNAMENTS THROUGHOUT THE

WARMER MONTHS.BOTH THE PARADE

AND SPORTS COMPLEX WILL NOW BE

LOOKING FOR NEW SPONSORS.WE'LL

CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY