History | Abernathy's Complete Home Furnishings

A Heritage You Can Trust

In the late 1800s, a man named George Abernathy began his business career selling Singer sewing machines from farm to farm around his hometown of Bear Paw, North Carolina. Soon after, in the year 1890, he opened a commissary in the nearby town of Farner, Tennessee, after realizing the need in the area. Years later, George moved his business to Ducktown, Tennessee, and partnered with Mr. Carl Center forming the Abernathy and Center Mercantile Business. George and Carl sold a variety of merchandise ranging from nails and hardware to furniture and appliances. After George's death, his son Luther took over the family's interest in the business in an attempt to follow in his father's footsteps. As the business continued to thrive, Luther opened a secondary store in Copperhill, Tennessee, where he primarily sold furniture, dynamite, and hardware. Luther also operated a funeral parlor on the top floor of the establishment and sold caskets as well. During Luther's time in Copperhill, he created two business slogans: "Coffins, Caskets, and Dynamite" and "You Marry the Girl, We'll Furnish the Home." The second slogan, "You Marry the Girl, We'll Furnish the Home," is the slogan most well-known to our community and still stands today at Abernathy's Complete Home Furnishings.

In 1925, after years of success and expansion, an arsonist burned the Copperhill facility, and the Great Depression soon followed in the 1930s. After the depression, Luther rebuilt the store on the same land our business currently stands on today between Blue Ridge, Georgia, and McCaysville, Georgia. Luther passed away in 1949, leaving his wife, Elizabeth, and his children to run the business. In the 1950s, the store was partially torn down in right of way for a new highway, and in 1973, after remodeling once again, an arsonist attempted to destroy the store once more. Thankfully, the people of the community helped the Abernathy family extinguish the fire before destroying the store a second time. After this event, Elizabeth decided to retire, leaving her son Carl Edd as the sole proprietor of the business. Later that same year, Carl Edd built a much larger, flame retardant facility in the same location, using the old store building as a warehouse for their inventory.

Carl Edd Abernathy eventually retired, and on July 1, 1984, a local man by the name of Wayne Queen, owner of the Handy Korner Convenience Store one mile away in Epworth, GA, purchased the business. Since that date and after selling the Handy Korner in 1989, Wayne and his wife, Diane, have made many additions to the property which include a second-floor showroom to the main building, a new three-story building for inventory and showroom space, a new two-story showroom connecting the new and old buildings together, and the purchase of a 10,000 square feet inventory warehouse nearby. In May 2006, Wayne and Diane turned the business operations over to their children, Melody, Jason, and Dustin, with Dustin becoming the store manager. Later in 2018, Dustin and Melody officially purchased shares becoming the 5th generation owners of the company. After the passing of their beloved mother, Diane, in 2021, Dustin and Melody became sole owners of Abernathy's Complete Home Furnishings. Today, Dustin continues to serve as General Manager and has the honor of working alongside the 6th generation to help carry on the legacy.

Abernathy's Complete Home Furnishings has been a part of this mountain community for over 130 years. Even now, with well over a century of being a local, family-owned business, our core values haven't changed. We offer quality products at very competitive prices and back them up with unmatched customer service. Our family and staff all live, work, play, shop, and worship in our community so it's important for us to treat our customers with the respect and appreciation that they deserve. After all, our customers are more than just people who shop at our store – they’re our friends and neighbors; the people we see at the grocery store, at church, at the ball field, or at the gym. Whether they are here full-time, part-time, or just passing through, they are the glue of our beautiful community.

We will always strive to make our customers feel important and welcome at our store. We are happy to spend as much time as necessary to find exactly what they are looking for, at a budget that makes them comfortable. We will listen carefully to their needs and concerns while being knowledgeable, helpful, professional, and respectful. We will do our best, at all times, to provide them with a good value and a quality product that we will stand behind. We will work hard to earn their trust, we will appreciate their business, and we will value their friendship. That's our promise.