Chase Furniture Co.

Marty Chase (1899-1990) immigrated to the United States from Lumza Province, Poland, in 1912, and eight years later his future wife, Freda Lerner (1904-1966), immigrated from Bialy, Poland around age 16. After arriving at Ellis Island, both Marty and Freda moved to Detroit, Michigan where they met. Together, they settled in Charleston and started their own family as Marty began working as a peddler of household goods and furniture. In 1938, Marty bought Carolina Furniture at 414 King Street, and after demolishing the original building, hired Augustus E. Constantine (1898-1976) to design a new store in 1946. According to Marty’s descendants, Chase Furniture Co. was the first furniture store in Charleston specifically built for that purpose.

Over the course of three generations, Chase Furniture Co. built a favorable reputation for giving credit and personalized customer service. After graduating from The Citadel and serving in the US Army, Marty and Freda’s sons, Joe (1931-2017) and Philip (1935-2008), joined their father in the business. Philip’s son, Ben (b. 1960), continued the family’s legacy until closing the business in 2005. As of 2024, Chase Furniture’s eleven-foot neon sign remains prominently displayed on upper King Street where the building is denoted as a historic property by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.