ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For some, the massive American Home Furniture store at Menaul and Carlisle was just another big box store. But for Kenton Van Harten, it was a home away from home.

“We all had an attachment to this building. I’ve worked in that building for the last 20 years. And it’s very strange, and especially to see it like this,” said Kenton Van Harten, owner of American Home Furniture. 

That’s because it wasn’t just a store, it was a symbol of Albuquerque’s perseverance.

“At the time, the city wasn’t doing so well, and so people kind of thought maybe they were a little crazy building this. But they’re really betting on the city growing, and which it did,” said Van Harten. 

The 175,000 square foot store opened in 1967 with a celebration. Longtime New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici was at the ribbon cutting, back when he was mayor of Albuquerque. Back then, it wasn’t just a furniture store.

“Originally, the store sold luggage, appliances, TVs, housewares,” Van Harten said. 

But times changed and so did the store.

“With the Walmarts and Best Buys and everyone else coming in taking other pieces in that, you know, that it became more of a focus on furniture and mattresses,” said Van Harten.  

Van Harten says it was a bittersweet decision to say goodbye to the building after 55 years of business.

“The way people shops change. So it was really too much space,” Van Harten said. “And also older buildings, old wiring, older air conditioning systems, all those kinds of things.”

But he knows the memory lives on with the New Mexicans who kept the store in business decade after decade.

“I talked to people all the time, their first credit card was an American Home, they bought all their furniture from here,” said Van Harten. “I think we’re all sad to see it go. But, you know, the good news is it’s not just going to be an empty lot. There’s going to be new businesses coming in here, and it’s going to help refresh in this area, which is what we need.”

He’s talking about a planned redevelopment project that would break up the old lot into six new ones, opening the door for several new businesses to come in.

It’s sad to see the old building go, but it seems American Home Furniture is doing just fine. The company opened a brand new, modernized location right on the other side of I-40 earlier this year.

Van Harten says it’s actually smaller than the old location, but it has a better design. So the new place feels bigger, and it’s easier to navigate.

“We rebranded the company. So new logo, new approach to our marketing, all of that. So it was really, we looked at it as a time to just reinvent ourselves and bring ourselves into the new generation for Albuquerque,” said Van Harten.  

It’s not clear how long demolition will take on the old building. Van Harten says crews are trying to recycle and salvage what they can from the rubble.