A furniture store that has been an institution in Menlo Park's downtown for 69 years is facing closure, and the owner is asking for the community's help to keep it alive.

The business was started by married couple Arthur and Cleora Flegel in 1954 and passed down through three generations of the Flegel family, to the couple's son Mark and now grandson Brian. The Flegel's storefront was on Menlo Park's Santa Cruz Avenue for 65 years before it moved to a location near Kepler's Books on El Camino Real in 2019. The store recently pivoted away from selling display furniture toward a more a custom approach, relying on the expertise of the interior designers Flegel's has on staff.

Flegel's set up a GoFundMe on April 27 to keep its operations afloat and is urging customers to support the business as it faces dire financial straits.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, third-generation owner Brian Flegel said he was planning the grand re-opening party for the store. The store was hit by supply chain issues that stopped him from being able to produce the custom furniture that customers wanted, he said.

He instead began selling display furniture, even though the company was geared toward custom pieces.

"From the micro to the macro, I couldn't get (supplies)," Flegel said. "I couldn't get a sofa made because nobody had any foam … I couldn't get a recliner made because nobody had any access to the mechanisms for the recliner to work."

Due to these issues, Flegel's faces the possibility of shuttering. There is no set date for the shutdown yet, but Flegel said that he is beginning the closure process. Still, he hopes that the store can gather support from the community and remain open.

Flegel says that there's sentimental value to a store that has existed for so long. He hopes the store has meaning to the community through the pieces that they've sold over the years.

"Hopefully, it's made some lasting effects on how people are currently living in Menlo Park or Palo Alto or Atherton," Flegel said. "Maybe they've just had more dinner parties because their dining table's perfect for the space, and their chairs are comfortable enough to sit on for long periods of time and have an extra bottle of wine."

Flegel's is a founding member of the Menlo Park Design District, a conglomeration of local businesses, mostly along Santa Cruz Avenue, that aim to support each other and create a design hub in Menlo Park.

Flegel says that he does not expect the GoFundMe to save his business, but hopes that the community will come into the store and support it. It cites "insurmountable debt" and asks for help to pay its bills and staff.

"It's sort of like a Hail Mary, like a rallying cry," Flegel said.

The store may have to take on a new form, possibly focusing on design from their Redwood City warehouse and shuttering the storefront in Menlo Park.

"I'm more than likely going to have to close this store," Flegel said. "The glimmer of hope is becoming even more design-driven."

Flegel's GoFundMe has a goal of $350,000 and can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-save-flegels-design.