We started looking for sites about 55 miles from Downingtown. “We expanded once we figured out our business model and our first satellite store was in Harrisburg. “Customers visited us from many different states,” Carl said. Maxwell married Blair Thornburgh, granddaughter of a former Pennsylvania governor.

Recently Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell, who worked at the store, held his wedding reception at the store.

The store began attracting high-profile customers, including Norman Mailer, David Eisenhower, brother of the President, television news personality Jessica Savitch and a relative of Shakespeare. Because of Pennsylvania’s Blue Laws, no sales could take place on opening day. The official grand opening of Dane Decor was on Sunday, Nov. Carl, whose educational background is in marketing, remembers painting the building in the summer of 1973. The family was in the construction business. To ready for the opening, family members spent months working on the building. The Hamilton family outbid the competition for the property. The church building, constructed in 1863, was available for sale. Gloria, whose educational background was in zoology as she spent two years at Gettysburg University and two more years at the University of Pennsylvania, became fascinated with the Scandinavian furniture business. During the trip Gloria was introduced to the owner of a Scandinavian furniture store chain operating in the Southwestern United States. In 1972, Gloria, who was of Scandinavian descent, traveled to Denmark with her sister, an architect. The idea for the business came from Gloria Hamilton, mother of eight children. Dane Decor opened for business in the former Central Presbyterian Church building, 216 East Lancaster Avenue, on Nov.

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