By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Furniture is all the Norris family has ever known, but soon they will close Keller Furniture, which has been in business since 1945.

Renee Longpine’s and Rene Norris’ father, Dennis, bought Keller Furniture more than 40 years ago. The siblings, along with their sister, Ramona, grew up working alongside their dad and mom, Patricia.

Renee went to her first marketplace when she was just 5 years old and learned the ins and outs of the business from her dad.

“Furniture has been our life every day,” Renee said, “just working with great people. We have made so many friends over the years.”

Dennis lived and worked on a farm growing up. He started working in a local furniture store in the ’50s, buying and fixing up furniture as he went.

He worked three jobs in those early days, his son said.

The family would eventually own five different furniture stores, including one in St. Joseph and Garnand Furniture in Garden City, which is still owned and operated by Ramona and her husband, Robert James.

Dennis loved western Kansas, and eventually that love led him back to Hays.

The Norrises bought Keller Furniture in the early ’70s, which was in Ellis at the time. It had already been in operation by Wendell Keller since 1945.

Their father moved the business to Hays in 1987.

The family bought the building at 1400 E. Eighth St. and remodeled it into the showroom that it is today.

It created quite a buzz in Hays at the time as it was the largest furniture showroom in town — about 38,000 square feet.

“Thirty years later we are causing more excitement in Hays as we close down,” Renee said.

Treating the customer right was the greatest of her father’s lessons, Renee said. Dennis died in 2008, but his legacy remains.

“I learned how to sell,” she said. “He taught us to treat customers as we wanted to be treated. We appreciated the customers. We provided service for them, and we tried to make the customers happy.”

As this chapter of the family’s history comes to a close and Rene busily worked to make some of the store’s final deliveries, he wished to remember his customers.

He said he wanted to thank all the customers over the years who were patrons of the business. His most sincere wish was to make his customers comfortable.

That could be the smallest decorating details that their mom often attended to during her visits to the store.

“She was always a pinch hitter,” Renee said. “She would go wherever she was needed.”

Renee said the business was almost like another member of the family, like someone she now has to say goodbye to.

“Being around this, surrounded by furniture, it has been comforting,” she said. “It may seem strange, but all this furniture, it almost has a life of its own. They are almost like people here. All of these things have different personalities.”

Renee and Rene will not be leaving the furniture business completely. They will still be available to help their sister and brother-in-law with the business in Garden City.

Renee and Rene both hope to have some time to travel, and Renee hopes to spend more time with her nieces and nephews.

“I am sure I will keep busy,” she said. “All good things have to come to an end.”

The Keller Furniture building is for sale. The Norrises do not know when their last day to be open to the public will be. It depends on how quickly the family can sell down their inventory and remove everything from the business.

At this time, the business is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays and closed Wednesdays.

For information, call 785-628-1048 or visit the store’s website at www.kellerfurnituregalleries.com.