Over the years they’ve found that the holiday season brings many families and homeowners in as they prepare for the impending holiday celebrations.

“People start to realize they’re going to be having company to or spending a lot more time in the home,” said Tom Caro, who co-owns the store with his brother, Ed.

Whether it’s a larger dining room table to host Thanksgiving dinner or a new sleeper sofa to accommodate out-of-state guests, the store’s 16,000-square foot showroom has unique options for everyone.

Tracy Searingen, Furniture Theatre’s general manager, notes that when purchasing any pieces for your home you should always think about the holidays, no matter when you make the purchase.

You’ll want furniture that will look good and fit into your home even when it has to rearranged to make room for holiday festivities.

When people come in, they’re often looking for something completely different than what they’ve had for years. And, over the past several years,  the furniture market has opened up to allow more individuality and fashion into the pieces that are available, giving people a much wider variety of choices.

“If you look at dining room sets for example, dining options have become more of a fashion than straight necessity,” said Swearingen. “Everyone needs a dining table, or some kind of table, but instead of functionality as the sole driver, fashion has come into people’s purchases and that’s changed the way we purchase things at the store; we’re more fashion conscious than we’ve ever been.

He notes that while furniture is still not considered a disposable purchase, people now are more likely to try and stay more up-to-date with furniture trends.

Caro points out the difference in the way furniture purchases are made to those in the past.

“It’s different from the way our parents purchased things, they bought something and hoped it would last for as long as possibly can and they would keep it for the rest of their lives – its not something people generally do now.”

Swearingen and Caro also note that these changes have affected they way they approach their  showroom. Years ago, showrooms were broken down by type of furniture, all genres of dining room tables were with all dining room tables. These days, the showroom is broken down as a more realistic living environment, and is updated regularly, including rearranging the spaces to keep it fresh for customers.

For all your last minute holiday home needs, visit the Furniture Theatre, 2785 Route 9, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 587-9420.