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One door closes and another opens. 

For John Parker, the closure of Badcock in LaGrange may have been a blessing in disguise. The longtime furniture business worker has moved on from Badcock to start his own mattress and appliance business in LaGrange.

The LaGrange-Troup Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of The Mattress & Appliance Spot on Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Parker was joined by numerous family members, former coworkers and supporters at the ceremony.

Parker worked at Badcock Home Furniture for 40 years when the store abruptly closed due to the bankruptcy of its parent company, Conn’s. Badcock was acquired by Conn’s in December 2023. Conn’s filed for bankruptcy in July 2024, closing all of the Badcock stores.

Employees at the LaGrange store said their Badcock was doing fine at the time.

The closure allowed for a chance for Parker to be his own boss, while continuing to serve the customers he has helped over four decades.

The store is still relatively new, having officially opened in March. It wasn’t that long ago that the store was just a dream.

“As of February the 12th, all this was only a piece of paper,” Parker said. “I was at Badcock Furniture for 40 years. I’ve wanted to try to venture out on my own to do something. So I just sat down one night and decided to do this on paper. And as of March 29, we actually opened up for business.”

It was the closure of Badcock that spurred him on and forced him to venture out on his own, Parker said.

“It’s been a little bit over a month. I came up with a dream, and did it,” Parker said.

“Everything’s been going really good with this so far. I’ve had a lot of previous customers from Badcock coming in here, making purchases. I hope the community continues to come,” Parker said.

Parker said their items are not left over furniture from Badcock’s closure. He said it’s all new from vendors and contacts he has made with his 40 years in the industry.

“I’ve got a couple of vendors here that I used to use,” Parker said. “We specialize in mattresses and appliances, but we’ve got recliners and bedroom stuff. I can get you most anything.”

The Mattress and Appliance Spot is located at 229 South Davis Road in LaGrange. For more information, including the store’s hours, call (706) 407-6583.