Effective Monday, April 7, Gary Olive will take over the Live Oak Badcock Store located on Highway 129 South, just outside of the city.



Presently operated by employees of Badcock Corporation, Olive has been negotiating with the corporation for several months, and just within the past couple of weeks came to terms of the buy-out.



Olive said, ” we are purchasing accounts receivable, equipment, trucks, and are leasing the building with the option to buy at the present time.” According to Olive, there are seven employees at the Live Oak store, and most all of them will remain. Olive and his wife, Lollie will share time at both the Live Oak store and Branford store and will always be available by telephone, with a new system that will be installed.



The Live Oak store has been at the present location for approximately seven years, moving into a new building from downtown Live Oak.



Gary said, “Lollie and I are real happy to get the Live Oak store. When the Mayo Badcock store closed, all the accounts receivables were transferred to Live Oak. Both the Branford and Live Oak stores will be serving Suwannee and Lafayette County, with Lafayette County becoming part of our territory.”



Olive said, “hopefully we will make the Live Oak store just as successful as our Branford store. We have found you have to be a part of the community to make the community be a part of you. We will make both stores our community.”



Gary first came to work for his father Walter Olive in 1986. Gary said, “I left a job with one of the Live Oak banks to come to Branford to work and I have never regretted it.” He purchased the store from his father in October 1998.



Olive prides himself in what he gives back to the community and believes that is one of the reasons for his success.



One thing Olive is real happy about is the fact he just a few days ago hired Eva Capparelli as an interpreter. Olive said, “we are getting more and more customers we need a bilingual speaking person for. According to Olive Ms. Caparelli is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish.”



Olive said, ” we also pride ourselves in a good service department. If we sell, we must be able to service it. Service and problem solving is real important to a successful business.”



In April of 2002, the Olives had an official ribbon cutting for their remodeled store in Branford. The name changed from Badcock Home Furnishings to Badcock and More Home Furniture located at 903 NE Suwannee Ave.



A huge grand opening sale is planned for the Live Oak store the first week of May. Olive said, “we hope to have some nice drawings and other things.”



We invite you to watch the Branford News, Suwannee Democrat and the Mayo Free Press for advertisements and sales.