Naked Furniture to shut its doors
Wood-furniture maker Naked Furniture of Hawaii is shutting down its only store, in Aiea, on April 30.
The company, which specializes in solid-wood furniture, said increases in the cost of products, shipping and general overhead triggered its decision to close after 13 years in business.
In addition, its warehouse lease at Harbor Center in Aiea behind Cutter Ford, expires at the end of the month.
A combination of freight and production costs would have forced the company to increase merchandise prices by 30 percent or more, said president Larry Robles.
"We had to make a very difficult decision on what to do with the business," Robles said. "We have always positioned ourselves as an affordable retailer of quality solid wood furniture."
With fewer solid-wood vendors, the company was faced with having to increase prices, carry lower-end particleboard products, or reinvent itself into a higher-end niche, he said.
"The product is moving upmarket," he said. "We don't think we were in a position to reinvent ourselves."
Naked Furniture carries a variety of solid-wood furniture from living, dining and bedroom sets to outdoor furniture and specialty items. The store is holding a month-long clearance sale that will begin on April 2.
Items for customers with pending orders will arrive by April 26, the company said.