We’re Proud of Our Company’s History
Furniture is a personal business. Whether you’re a young couple furnishing your first home or parting ways with a long held family heirloom in exchange for a fresh look, selecting furniture is an emotional process. It’s important to have the right people around you as you make these big decisions. That’s why our team at Cash and Carry Furniture is so proud of our rich history and personalized touch. We value you and your story and we hope you love ours too. Here’s a little more information on our store and its ownership:
Where it all Began
Our El Cajon furniture store is a family affair all the way. Around 1920, our father's future father-in-law, Jesse Riggle, moved with his brother and mother to El Cajon from their ranch near Pierre, South Dakota.
They bought 5 acres on the corner of Main and Mollison, where Cash and Carry Furniture is now located, and planted orchards, vineyards and vegetables. The Riggle Brothers established the El Cajon Grape Juice and Cider Company, and their customers even came from "far away" San Diego.
Family lore has it that they were especially successful during Prohibition. The attached photo of the roadside stand is taken on Mollison looking to the north. Our mother, Katherine Riggle, was born in a house where the Cash and Carry warehouse now stands.
Our dad, Gordon Tucker, moved to El Cajon at the age of 5. He graduated from Grossmont High School in 1941, worked in plane assembly at Consolidated Aircraft and served in the Navy during the last couple of years of World War II. He then opened a secondhand furniture and appliance store - Valley Furniture - on the northeast corner of Main and Mollison in a building also owned by our grandfather Jesse.
See the photo of the store when it first opened. His first sale was a used trunk on January 20th, 1947. Initially our dad sold items that he purchased from the Los Angeles swap meet and refurbished, and he made his own deliveries. As time went on, Valley Furniture specialized in Early American and Maple furniture, then oak and other solid hardwood furniture.
The Riggle family built what is now the section of Cash and Carry that fronts on Main Street. Small businesses were in the side-by-side buildings; some were Riggle-family operated, while other businesses rented the remaining spaces. In the 1960s, our father decided to open another store for used furniture and less expensive new furniture. When a couple of the contiguous businesses closed on Main Street, he opened a store where people could pay cash for furniture and take it home with them that day - hence the name, Cash and Carry. Eventually, Cash and Carry occupied the entire space. In the family spirit, one space was set aside for his retired father, Reggie Tucker, to sell used furniture and share his British humor with customers and passers-by.
Our brother Steve started working at the store at an early age, earning 50 cents for each stove he cleaned. For many years, he lived behind the Cash and Carry store, next to our mother's birthplace. In the family tradition, he maintained a large vegetable garden. His annual Harvest Parties were well-loved among friends and family. Steve earned bachelor's degrees at San Diego State University in Business Administration, Art and Writing. Some of his pottery pieces are on display at Valley Furniture. Our parents eventually retired, and Steve successfully ran the business for several years. At one point, both of his daughters worked at the store, and Courtney Tucker continues as the store's IT specialist. Following Steve's sudden death in 2012, his wife, Jann Tucker, continued the business for five years until January 2017. She fulfilled our brother's vision for bringing Amish Furniture handcrafted from various hardwoods to our Valley Furniture Store.
The Here & Now
Although the ownership and furniture styles have changed since the initial opening in 1947, and our stores stopped selling used furniture many years ago, we remain focused on staying true to our father's legacy. He founded the stores on the values of customer service, fair prices and integrity. To this we have added many options for customization. The diverse community in the area and throughout the county still deserves a furniture vendor they can trust and afford. We love fulfilling that role!
Both the Cash and Carry and Valley Furniture sales teams exemplify our core values in every single business transaction. The staff is trained to focus on you, the customer, and is committed to helping you find the best value for your hard-earned dollars. Gone are the days when payment options were limited to cash, lay-away and credit cards. We offer all forms of payment to make sure there are no barriers between you and your dream look!
Other Fun Facts
Because of our outstanding reputation and our long history, we are proud today to serve multiple generations of customers. In addition to our core values, we offer many other perks for your furniture buying experience in El Cajon CA. Most of our team is bilingual in Spanish or Arabic, which makes finding and purchasing furniture with us a smooth and seamless process for many San Diego County residents. We now offer in-store interior design service with a qualifying purchase. We offer a commercial division for designers, stagers, furnished housing and retirement home businesses, and even fire departments. Our delivery team and our skilled Service Department serve our customers anywhere in San Diego County, and our excellent customer service continues to earn the trust of our customers. We offer rich financing options for qualified credit and are proud to offer a one-year, in-home service on all our furniture products that we deliver to your home. We have a 24-hour phone line available for reporting repair needs.
Get Started on Your New Look Today!
If you’re looking for furniture in El Cajon CA, Cash and Carry Furniture and Valley Furniture stores should be your first stop (and only) stop! Our El Cajon furniture stores will make you feel right at home. We are excited to learn your story and hope you will embrace our philosophy when it comes to buying furniture! Stop in and visit us today!