Ambrose Furniture

Ambrose Furniture began in 1946, when H.H. Ambrose gave up life as a traveling preacher to open a furniture store in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The values he had preached about became the working philosophy of the business. The company says they remain in place more than 75 years later. In 1984 his son Marion and Marion's wife Betty opened the Kitty Hawk store on the Outer Banks. In 1988 they added the largest of the three stores at Coinjock in Currituck County. The stores now belong to Marion and Betty's sons, West and Barry Ambrose. Barry grew up in the business, napping in the front window as a toddler to promote mattress sales. He graduated from East Carolina University in 1983 with a degree in theatre arts, and he credits that training for the way the stores look. West started work at thirteen and helped build the current Elizabeth City location. He now handles operations from Coinjock. The company sells furniture and home decor in styles it groups as coastal or traditional. Modern rooms and rustic rooms are shown alongside. Its design staff work with customers on whole rooms, including the rental homes that fill the Outer Banks. Testimonials on its site come from second-home owners who have used the firm since the 1990s. A soft-coated wheaten terrier named Moxie serves as the official mascot. She greets shoppers at the Kitty Hawk store at 5125 North Croatan Highway, where Barry Ambrose is usually found.