Ross and Janice Elwell’s first furniture store in the Florida Keys likely carried at least a few lacquer dressers, Lucite tables and a variety of vertical blinds.
It was 1984, and Prince’s “Purple Rain” album was topping the charts. Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” was panicking parents and kids were getting “Footloose” with Kevin Bacon.
Meanwhile, the Elwell family was founding a furniture dynasty that would spread throughout the Keys and continue to grow for four decades — and counting.
The single store in Marathon gave way to what is now the Royal Furniture empire — with sprawling showrooms in Key West, Marathon and Key Largo and a distribution warehouse in Florida City that enables same- or next-day delivery for most items.
In 1990, six years after opening their first store in Marathon, the Elwells opened a second location in Key Largo. That’s also when Ross and Janice Elwell’s son, Christopher, joined the family business full-time. His brother Ryan followed suit in 1998 and the Key West store opened in 2005.
“We now have the three stores and distribution center, plus the business has also expanded to include a home improvement division, offering complete remodels, kitchens and bathrooms, flooring, window treatments and complementary interior design services,” Christopher Elwell told the Keys Weekly, adding that Royal Furniture is celebrating its 40th anniversary all year with “fun specials” and anniversary promotions.
The company caters to a variety of clients: second- and third-home owners seeking to furnish and design their dream vacation home in the Keys; investor owners of high-end rental properties; “and then we always have our locals, the people who live here full time” and will actually be the ones using the furniture and accessories in their home.
And the Elwells are proud to carry a multitude of brands for all budgets.
“We have fantastic Ashley furniture that’s more affordable, all the way up to Lexington and Tommy Bahama,” he said.
The choices are endless and a quick walk around any of the three showrooms immediately makes anyone despise their current living room or bedroom and want one of each sofa, chair-and-a-half and bedroom set.
“For 40 years we’ve been entirely family-owned, with no outside investors,” Christopher Elwell said. “You don’t see that sort of longevity very often with family businesses, especially in the Florida Keys.”
The family takes pride in both their company and their communities, sponsoring regular charity cookouts to support various causes, while also supporting the local arts culture, scholarships and storm recovery efforts.
The lacquer dressers may be gone, and design trends will always change, but the Elwells and Royal Furniture aren’t going anywhere.
