<p>Wilcox Furniture first opened in Hermiston in 1951.</p>

Wilcox Furniture, which began doing business in Hermiston in 1951, will end its operations this summer.

The family issued a press release announcing its plans Friday afternoon. According to the Spokane-based Journal of Business, Walkers Furniture will assume the leases on all five buildings currently used by Wilcox and open them as Walkers outlets in the early fall.

Wilcox, owned by brothers John Wilcox, Bruce Wilcox and Alan Wilcox, currently operates two stores in Hermiston, two in Milton-Freewater and one in Pendleton. A press release issued by the Wilcox family on Friday said the company will hold a store-closing sale this summer to clear inventory before Walkers takes over the store leases.

The expansion will push the Walkers store total to 12, which includes outlets in Kennewick and Walla Walla.

The Wilcox chain began in the 1951 with one store in Hermiston, opened by Charles Wilcox. Les and Joyce Wilcox bought the store in 1959, and their son John joined them in the business in 1973 when there was still just one Wilcox store.

Johns brothers, Alan and Bruce Wilcox, joined the company soon after. Wilcox opened a second store in Hermiston in the 1970s, then added a Pendleton store in 1985, a Milton-Freewater outlet in 1989 and another Milton-Freewater store in 1996.

According to the Wilcox press release, Wilcox currently employs a staff of 70.

We have enjoyed a tremendous relationship with the people of Eastern Oregon and Southeast Washington,?John Wilcox said in the press release. The decision to close our stores has been a very difficult one.

The Wilcox press release said, “All of ‘The Wilcox Boys’ look forward to the next chapter of their lives as they move on to other pursuits.”

Bruce Wilcox said, Well miss the community involvement. But, after spending over 30 years in the furniture business, it is time to do something different.

Walkers owner Mark Walker told the Journal of Business that his company was approached by the Wilcox family.

What they wanted was for us to take over their leases, Walker said. They found us. They wanted to find a dependable, strong company that could take over their business and continue being successful.”

The Wilcox family owns the two buildings in?Hermiston and leases the others. Walker said he plans to lease the Hermiston buildings from the Wilcox family, and the Pendleton and Milton-Freewater buildings from their current owners.

John Wilcox said the family plans to liquidate the companys entire inventory.

“It works for them, and it works for us, Walker said. Our goal is to open in September, and we’ll have access to the buildings in August.”