Name: Chuck Marshall
Title: Owner, Chuck's Used Furniture
How long have you been in business?
This is my 20th year. I was on Manchester Street for 10 years, and I've been here (on S. State Street) for 10 years.
What led you to start a used furniture store?
I was a store manager in Plattsburgh, N.Y., with Ames, I was 47 at the time and I was tired of it. I went from 100 employees to a couple off and on.
What's the weirdest item you've ever taken in?
A fish tank. Someone sold me a tank with fish and water in it, and I came in one morning and the tank was leaking. I didn't know what to do with the fish. Since then I don't carry any animals.
You must have moved a lot of furniture … got any tips for getting stuff through awkward doorways?
Take it apart and put it back together.
How many rooms in your house are furnished with used items from the store?
Everything. 100 percent.
Have you ever been folded up in a fold-out couch or Murphy bed?
No, but I took a fold-out couch up a fire escape one time and it fell apart on me. I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning.
Do you ever just sleep in the store to catch some Zs mid-day?
No, never. I haven't taken a nap since I was a kid.
What's the ugliest item you've ever taken in?
Some couches that looked like they came out of a bordello. They were purple with fringe on them. They sold, eventually. A couple of college kids bought them. There was a couch and a loveseat with matching lamps with fringe.
How much money have you found in the cushions of couches?
Some coins mostly. You'll stick your hand behind it and find a few coins. Nothing more than a few bucks.
Guilty pleasure?
I read a lot of history.
Hidden talent?
I'm a boring person.
