Website Announcement
Bright neon signs adorn the storefront of a long-time local business shutting its doors.
After 80 years in business, Corwin Churchill Appliance in downtown Bismarck is closing. According to its website, the store lost its lease and chose not to relocate. A liquidation sale is set to begin this Thursday, May 7.
Marketed as “the area’s oldest, most reliable appliance dealer,” the store’s closure will erase the prominent Corwin Churchill nameplate from the local business landscape after 100 years – with roots dating back to 1914 when Samuel Wickham Corwin established a local car dealership, which went onto become one of the nation’s first Chrysler dealerships in 1924. Neil Churchill joined the dealership in 1925. The appliance store was established in 1935.
Churchill retired in 1952 and sold his interest to the Corwin family. The Whittey family purchased the Bismarck dealership from the Corwins six years later in 1958. Ryan Automotive Group purchased the auto dealership in 2010, but the Whittey family maintained ownership of the appliance store.
Rumor has it that neighboring Lucky Ducks Deli is eyeing an expansion into the shuttering appliance store.
“After nearly 80 years of business, the Whittey family announces the closing of our appliance store. We have lost our lease on the great downtown location and family members have reached an age where we would like to better enjoy our retirement years.
This sale has been initiated only after careful consideration. It is now the end of an era. We want to thank the thousands of friends and customers we have known from all over Southwestern North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. We have enjoyed helping make your day a little brighter with wonderful products and service. Many of you are dear, dear friends.” – Bruce Whittey, President and Part Owner
