Tillman Furniture Brookhaven, Brookhaven, MS, USA

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Herman Tillman, Sr. and B. F. Lemon formed a partnership on August 1, 1945 and opened Copiah Furniture Company on Marion Avenue in Crystal Springs. Mr. Lemon managed the business and Mr. Tillman provided the capital from his employment with Illinois Central Railroad. Within two years another store was opened on Ragsdale Avenue in Hazlehurst. The business prospered with Mr. Lemon's management and Mr. Tillman's contribution of capital from his railroad job. But in the late 1940's, being short of working capital to finance growing accounts receivable, Mr. Tillman sold his share of the business to Mr. Wade Funchess of Hazlehurst

A Laurel store, LeGrande Furniture Company, was soon opened by Mr. Lemon and Mr. Funchess; however, the three stores were closed in 1950 because of the death of Mr. Funchess and the ill health of Mr. Lemon.

Mr. Tillman continued his employment with the Illinois Central Railroad as freight conductor. In 1948 he purchased Hazle Hotel, a small downtown hotel. His wife, Willie Nelson Tillman, operated the hotel.

Mr. Tillman got into the furniture business a second time when a guest of the hotel mentioned that he had a load of used furniture for sale and asked if Mr. Tillman knew of anyone who would be interested in buying it. The story was that the load of furniture was brought to a furniture dealer in Hazlehurst, but because of a price dispute with the dealer, the hotel guest could not get rid of the furniture and he wished to return to Chicago. The price was right! Mr. Tillman bought the load of furniture and quickly sold it in an unused dining area of the hotel. Walter Dillon Nelson, Mrs. Tillman's brother, operated the used store in the back of the hotel. The hotel business was not as good as the furniture business. Another truck load of used furniture was brought in from Chicago from the same dealer who had been stuck with the original load. Pickup loads were brought from Roy and Claude Myers dba Tulane Furniture Company on almost a weekly basis. Herman Tillman, Jr. joined the company full time in 1960. New furniture had begun to be sold and more of the hotel was taken over by Tillman Furniture Company. Margaret Porter Russell was salesperson. On June 2, 1970, Frances Stokes joined the company as bookkeeper using a used Burroughs' Sensimatic posting machine. William Durr delivered. The hotel business was closed, but the furniture business was remodeled and took over the entire two story building. A store in Crystal Springs was opened in 1971 with Jean Martin as manager. In 1972 a store in downtown Magee was purchased from Mr. Prentiss Brown. This store was relocated to a new, larger store on Highway 49 in 1992. Home Furniture Company in McComb was acquired from Mr. Robert H. Hemeter in April 1991. In 2008 a building was leased in Brookhaven. Building plans for a new Brookhaven store are being developed with the new store scheduled to open in 2013.