Shoppers wonder if Horton’s Furniture closure means these three others will follow

With the announcement that Horton’s Furniture will be closing, Horton’s Carpets co-owner Jesse Sauer said he’s been getting calls wondering if that means his three stores are closing, too.

The short answer is no, they are not.

The longer answer is the two stores used to be related but haven’t been for decades.

Frank and Frances Horton started Horton’s Furniture in Argonia in 1946 and moved to Wichita with an expanded showroom they built in 1967.

Later, they also opened Horton’s Carpets at Pawnee and Oliver, Sauer said.

His father, the late Jim Sauer, purchased Horton’s Carpets in the early 1990s.

“Since then, we’ve opened three carpet showrooms in Wichita,” Jesse Sauer said.

He moved the original store to 13th Street just west of Greenwich. There’s also one at Maple and Ridge Road and in NewMarket Square at 29th and Maize Road.

Sauer said he’s recently remodeled all of the showrooms.

“We updated all three showrooms so it’s more of a simple layout,” he said. “It makes it easier for people to find carpet.”

He said everything is organized into qualities and styles, and there are larger-than-normal samples for customers to take home to see what carpet might work.

The changes streamline the process, Sauer said.

“It’s simpler to shop for sure.”

With news of Horton’s Furniture closing, many wonder: What happened to those twins?

Horton’s Furniture in Wichita to close after almost 80 years