Attie (A.I.B.) Williams and his two daughters, Beatrice Weller and Betty Stutz, opened Williams Furniture in 1940. The store was first located on Front Street SE in downtown New Philadelphia. Williams and his daughters operated the store until May of 1967 when they sold it to James E. & Betty L. Pennington.  The Penningtons moved the business to East High Avenue in downtown New Philadelphia.

Williams Furniture  was sold again in June of 1976 to its present owners, Francis and Dorothy Brogan. 

The Brogans watched as the store continued to grow and prosper at the East High location. However, after 7 years of hard work, a major catastrophe changed the entire complexion and future of Williams Furniture. In March of 1983, a major fire destroyed an entire block of downtown New Philadelphia including Williams Furniture, Yelverton Bond Shoes, Marlinn Shoes, the Dutch Oven Restaurant and Metzger's Barber Shop.  The buildings were torn down and a new Tuscarawas County Courthouse Annex building was constructed.  Only Metzger's Barber Shop and Williams Furniture reopened at new locations.

Using ingenuity and hard work, Francis Brogan and his staff re-grouped and opened later that year in what had been the Williams warehouse on Allen Lane in downtown New Philadelphia. There, the store took on a new flavor.  Specializing in motion furniture, such as recliners and rocker recliners, Williams soon became famous for selling top quality merchandise by La-Z-Boy and Berkline at super competitive prices.

The Brogan family also expanded their carpet department while in the Allen Lane location. The Williams Carpet Outlet store opened around the corner and became well known for floor covering values. Both stores flourished at these new locations.

In August of 1997, Francis and Dorothy took advantage of an opportunity to become the largest store of its kind in East Central Ohio. They purchased the Wilmar furniture store on South Wooster Avenue in neighboring Dover, Ohio. The store, now 2 1/2 acres under one roof, evolved into the showplace of home furnishings that it is today. The huge Shaw Floor Center opened in January of 1998.   Berkline opened an Express Comfort Gallery in May of 1998 and the all new La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio was opened in April of 2009. The store boasts an inventory of over 700 Berkline and La-Z-Boy recliners. Sons, Marty and Fran Brogan, handle many of the management duties at the store.

The 69 year history of Williams Furniture, from its founding by Attie Williams in 1940, to its present form as a home furnishing super store, has been filled with many ups and downs, but it has always been driven by a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. We hope that you and your family will be a part of William's second 70 year run!