Draft:Homemakers Furniture

• File:Symbol opinion vote.svg Comment: Written like a brochure? qcne (talk) 20:37, 19 December 2025 (UTC)

• File:Symbol opinion vote.svg Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. Bev Nelsen (talk) 21:48, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

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Homemakers Furniture

Homemakers Furniture Logo
Company	Homemakers Furniture
Industry	Retail
Founders	Carl and Ina Merschman
Year founded	1974
Headquarters	Urbandale, Iowa
Current President	Roger Merschman

Homemakers Furniture (formally, 'Homemakers Plaza, Inc."), is a home furnishings, mattress and decor retailer, Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. It was founded by Carl and Ina Merschman in 1974.

Company History

Carl and Ina Merschman purchased Gray's Furniture, located on Hubbell Avenue in Des Moines in 1974. The Merschmans then purchased a second location at the former Parker Brother's Factory in 1985, located at 10215 Douglas Avenue in Urbandale. In 1995 a large warehouse just west of the store was rented from Casey's, and a new showroom facade was added the same year. Warehouse renovations and upgrades, as well as a 40,000 square foot addition to the showroom were completed in 1998. A year later, Homemakers had established two stores in the Des Moines area.

In 2000, Homemakers was acquired by Nebraska Furniture Mart (now branded NFM), a Berkshire Hathaway Company. While wholly owned by NFM & Berkshire Hathaway, Homemakers continues to be managed and operated by the Merschman family who founded the company more than half a century ago.

Homemakers broke ground on a massive four-phase construction and renovation project in 2007 which was completed by July of 2009 making Homemakers one of the largest furniture showrooms in America at nearly 215,000 sq. ft. By May of the same year, the Hubbell Ave location was closed, moving all operations to the newly expanded Urbandale location. An additional 56% of warehouse capacity was built out in 2012. A state-of-the-art ancillary warehouse was added in 2016, boasting an additional 120,000 square feet of space, the equivalent of 42 tennis courts. The new warehouse was joined to the original by a revolutionary skywalk and conveyor system, making transport between the two buildings simpler. Loading docks, pick-up and delivery areas were also upgraded.

Homemakers Furniture Store

File:MHF Storefront 05-12.jpg Homemakers Furniture Store Front Homemakers Furniture store front in Urbandale, Iowa

Homemakers Furniture launched an informational website in 2008, and in 2014 upgraded it to support online shopping and shipping across much of the United States.

In June of 2024 Roger Merschman was named President of Homemakers Furniture coinciding with the company's 50th Anniversary.

In October of 2025 Homemakers broke ground on their second location in Tiffin, Iowa, a suburb of Iowa City. This will expand operations into Eastern Iowa.

Homemakers employs 340 full-time employees. This includes non-commissioned sales staff with the intent of a non-aggressive shopping experience as well as in-house delivery personnel for curb-side and in-home delivery.

Sustainability Initiatives

Homemakers is dedicated to sustainability in business. Both of its store locations, current and future, feature massive rooftop solar arrays making Homemakers the largest private solar power generator in the state of Iowa.

In 2022 Homemakers became one of Iowa's largest solar panel installations by adding 250,000 square feet of solar panel coverage to the roof of its' showroom and attached warehouse. The project took only three months to complete and, as of 2025, generates around 1.33 megawatts of electricity, converting nearly half of Homemakers facilities energy demand to green solar power.

In 2025 Homemakers announced the Tiffin location would be built with mass timber, an environmentally sound alternative to steel. Mass timber is renewable and sequesters carbon. The store will be among the largest mass timber projects in North America in league with the Ascent MKE building in Milwaukee, WI and the expansion of the Portland International Airport in Portland, OR. This Tiffin store will also include a rooftop array of solar to offset the buildings energy needs, following the demonstrated success at the Urbandale showroom.

During low-demand periods, excess energy is funneled back into the grid to support the wider community. This method reduces environmental impact and underscores Homemakers' position as a leader in the adoption of renewable resources.

Locations

Urbandale, Iowa The Urbandale location is the second location to be inhabited by Homemakers, moving the Des Moines area operations into this one, massive location serving Central Iowa as well as delivering across the United States.

Tiffin, Iowa A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Eastern Iowa facility was held in October of 2025, with an anticipated opening date in the second half of 2027 or early 2028. This facility will include approximately 200,000 square feet of showroom (close to the size of 3.5 football fields), as well as a large, attached warehouse to fulfill sales and allow for customer pick-up.