Levin makes good on promise to help former employees

When Robert Levin’s attempt to rescue his family’s former furniture store empire collapsed last month, the former CEO of Levin Furniture promised he wouldn’t forget the 1,200 workers left hanging when Art Van Furniture filed for bankruptcy.

Concerned that hundreds of employees who had worked for Levin Furniture for decades would be left without paychecks or health insurance, Levin, 63, of Squirrel Hill, vowed to set up a $2 million assistance fund.

Now, he’s making good on his promise.

Checks, enclosed in letters from Levin, began landing in former employees’ mailboxes late last week.

Neva German, who had worked for Levin’s since 2004, said she was confused at first when she opened the letter.

“Once I realized what it was, I cried a bit,” she said.

German, of Pittsburgh’s North Side, was store manager and sleep specialist at Levin’s Mattress in Mt. Lebanon. She said she hasn’t decided whether to keep the check or return it.

But she’s certain of one thing: Robert Levin, the man who headed the 100-year-old chain of furniture stores until he sold it in 2017, is indeed a man of his word.

“What an incredible human being he is!” German said.

Staffers across the chain of three dozen Levin and Wolf Furniture stores shared similar views when Robert Levin announced March 5 he had signed a deal to buy back outlets across Pennsylvania and Ohio from Art Van Furniture.

The deal collapsed two weeks later as coronavirus fears spread across the U.S., shuttering much of America’s retail sector.

In the letter that went out April 23, addressed to former Levin and Wolf employees, Robert Levin apologized.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to reach out to you sooner,” he wrote. “I can’t express how heartbroken I am for the disappointment that occurred when I was unable to buy back the company.”

“This gift from me is tax free and does not need to be paid back. Please use it for health care premiums or for any expenses or needs you may have,” Levin wrote.

Although he had originally vowed to set up a fund to underwrite grants and loans to former employees, Levin said he decided to expedite the process by making a $2 million gift to the tax-exempt nonprofit Howard Levin Memorial Fund, Inc., and dispersing the money now to former employees.

He said the arrangement provides for grants of $1,575 to each eligible Pennsylvania employee of Levin’s and Wolf Furniture.

Levin could not be reached for comment. He has repeatedly expressed concern for the employees and customers who helped build the company his grandfather founded in Mt. Pleasant in 1920.

A spokesman for Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said 644 people have filed complaints, charging they made down payments or paid for furniture from Levin’s or Wolf’s that was never delivered.

The office is representing those customers in the Art Van bankruptcy.

“We know consumers have not received furniture that they either paid for in full or that they placed deposits on. Our office is making sure consumers’ interests are being protected in the bankruptcy. Any consumer who believes they are owed a refund or furniture can still file a complaint with my office,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Monday.

He said consumers can file a complaint by calling 800-441-2555.

The deadline for filing claims is June 16, Shapiro said.