Photo by Deb Gau Furniture Mart USA founder Bill Hinks and Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes cut the ribbon for the new Ashley HomeStore at its grand opening Wednesday morning.

MARSHALL — It’s a new business in town, and a chance to bring new life to a retail building that had gone empty for years. But as Marshall community members and businesspeople gathered to cut the ribbon on the new Ashley HomeStore near Highway 23, they said the celebration wouldn’t have been possible without teamwork and community support.

“It’s exciting to be here,” said Jim Heinitz, CEO of Furniture Mart USA, at a grand opening ceremony Wednesday morning.

“We’re very happy to have our company here in Marshall,” said Furniture Mart USA owner Bill Hinks. “It’s a great city.” Hinks said Marshall needs to keep up the kind of positive growth he had seen in the city over the years.

Based in Sioux Falls, Furniture Mart USA includes Ashley Furniture HomeStores, Furniture Mart, and Unclaimed Freight. Heinitz said the HomeStore in Marshall would be the company’s 44th store to open.

Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce President Brad Gruhot said having the HomeStore in Marshall would bring shoppers to town, and strengthen the local business community.

“It’s really exciting to have Ashley HomeStore, not only for Marshall but for the region,” Gruhot said.

The new Ashley HomeStore takes up about half of a 90,000 square foot former Kmart building in Marshall, while a new Hobby Lobby is moving into the other half. The grand opening for Hobby Lobby will be held Monday morning.

The freshly-renovated interior and displays of home furnishings that community members saw at the HomeStore on Wednesday came at the end of years of work. The Marshall Kmart location closed in 2014, and the building sat empty for three years before Furniture Mart USA bought it. The building became an Unclaimed Freight furniture clearance center in 2018, while Furniture Mart USA worked to find an additional tenant for the building. The news that Hobby Lobby would be moving in was announced in January.

Besides renovations in the store building, some other big transformations like the resurfacing of the parking lot have taken place.

“It looks fantastic. It’s amazing what has happened here,” said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Speaking to Furniture Mart USA leaders, he said, “Thank you for your confidence in this region.”

Hinks said it will be exciting to have a partnership with Hobby Lobby. Having the two businesses side by side was a good fit, as there are home décor items and furnishings available there that can’t be found anywhere else.

Hinks said Furniture Mart USA was also proud to have a connection to Ashley Furniture, one of the largest manufacturers and retailers of furniture in the world. One of the positive things about Ashley HomeStore was that customers would be able to see plenty of change in the displays and variety in furnishings at the store.

“You’re getting an opportunity to see the latest and the greatest,” Hinks said.

As part of the grand opening, Ashley HomeStore representatives said a total of 20 beds were being donated to area children in need, through the company’s Hope to Dream program and United Community Action Partnership. The beds, complete with bed frames and bedding, will be delivered to UCAP early next week.