Doug Matthews Sr., Founder of Retailer Brown Squirrel, Passes

Furniture World News Desk on 8/10/2016

3 Generations of the Brown Squirrel Legacy. Pictured from left to right:
Doug Matthews, Tom Matthews, Preston Matthews and Doug Matthews Sr.


Mr. Doug Matthews Sr., passed away at the age of 93.  Mr. Matthews started in retail furniture sales at Sterchi Brother’s Furniture in 1947 and went on to do great things in retail in the Knoxville area and beyond.

Doug’s entrepreneurial spirit and keen business sense led him to open Modern Day Furniture in the Bearden area of Knoxville in 1951. Always striving to achieve greatness, he envisioned a high-end design store and in 1959, Wellington Galleries was established. In 1971, this “modern day” businessman once again defied all odds and created Brown Squirrel Furniture Warehouse and Showroom, a concept new to East Tennessee, after being inspired traveling all over the country in search of new ideas. Forty-five years later, Brown Squirrel continues to grow in the hands of 2nd and 3rd generations. “Dad was always a visionary when it came to predicting the future”, says Preston Matthews, President of Brown Squirrel.

“Dad opened Brown Squirrel in an area that was so far west out of Knoxville on I-40… that a lot of people said it wouldn’t work. Today, 45 years later, we are surrounded by HGTV corporate headquarters”. Even in his 90s, Mr. Matthews was still a familiar sight in the showroom of Brown Squirrel Furniture. Whether it was talking with salespeople or discussing business with Preston, Mr. Matthews truly loved the vision he created and the lives that it had touched. Mr. Matthews was loved by all especially his 4 children, 10 grand-children and 2 great grand-children. Mr. Matthews was preceded in death by the love of his life, Evelyn Matthews.

For more information on Brown Squrrel Furniture, see Furniture World's recent retail profile Click Here.