Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec / Wolf Furniture was co-founded in Altoona in 1902 by Charles Wolf and John Fox and is currently led by CEO and fourth-generation family member Doug Wolf.

Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec / Wolf Furniture was co-founded in Altoona in 1902 by Charles Wolf and John Fox and is currently led by CEO and fourth-generation family member Doug Wolf.

A longtime local, family-owned furniture company founded in 1902 has been sold.

Wolf Furniture and Pittsburgh-based Levin Furniture have been acquired by Warren, Mich.-based Art Van Furniture, the Midwest’s No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer.

Wolf Furniture was co-founded in Altoona in 1902 by Charles Wolf and John Fox and is currently led by CEO and fourth-generation family member Doug Wolf.

In 2015, Wolf Furniture acquired Maryland-based Gardiners Furniture and rebranded the stores Gardiner Wolf Furniture.

Wolf Furniture operates 18 showrooms in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, which will be added to Art Van Furniture’s growing portfolio.

“The timing was right, and the opportunity presented itself,” Doug Wolf said in a statement.

“The heart and soul of our 115-year-old company will remain the same with this acquisition, and Wolf Furniture will benefit from Art Van’s enormous buying power, warehouse and distribution capacity and services,” Wolf said.

“This acquisition should mean continued growth opportunities for all Wolf employees. Art Van has very aggressive growth plans for the near future for expansion,” said Gene Stoltz, Wolf’s president.

The announcement of the sale caught Joe Hurd by surprise.

“A bit of a surprise, but not when you look at how the Wolf Furniture Company has been built over more than a century. They’ve very adeptly capitalized on opportunities when those opportunities were consistent with their value system. That’s just good business,” said Hurd, president/CEO of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.

“Wolf’s has also taken special care to protect the jobs of its employees and the economic well-being of the communities in which it’s located. This move, ultimately, should position Wolf’s to accomplish even greater things. Is there something wrong with that?” he said.

With the acquisitions of Levin and Wolf, Art Van becomes a top-10 national furniture retailer based on sales, with 176 stores, which includes 18 Art Van franchise stores in nine states and $1.3 billion in expected annual sales. The acquisitions also will add 1,900 new employees to Art Van’s current employee base of 3,600, bringing the total to

5,500 associates.

Levin and Wolf Furniture will maintain their names, and all current management teams and staff will remain in place. All Levin and Wolf customer accounts and product warranties will continue, as well.

“Today’s acquisitions of these two well-established furniture retailers — both intricately woven into the fabric of their communities — underscores a transformative new era of thoughtful expansion at Art Van Furniture,” said Kim Yost, president and CEO of Art Van Furniture in a statement. “From their commitment to their customers to their long-standing histories and corporate cultures, Levin and Wolf are a perfect fit for Art Van’s growing family of brands.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.