Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which grew from a small North Carolina-based upholstery maker to a national retail furniture chain, is shuttering operations, citing weak sales and trouble securing financing, CNN.com reported. About 500 employees in North Carolina are losing their jobs as a result of the closure, said interim CEO Chris Moye in a notice sent to the state’s Department of Commerce over the weekend. The separations are expected to happen in the two-week period that started August 26, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice. Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams founded their business together in 1989. Over the decades, the firm evolved into a major furniture maker and seller, with its own signature retail stores and outlets, as well as virtual stores that offered design services in some regions. Furniture stores, especially high-end retailers like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, have been struggling as people cut back on home improvement projects and big ticket items. Ethan Allen reported this month that in the quarter ending on June 30, retail net sales fell 17.2%.
