Hazel and Roland Troxell
started Southern Furniture out of the back of a used station wagon in 1947. Roland quit the insurance business and started his first mercantile route at that time. Soon he employed other “routemen” to expand his business. He opened an office and very small showroom shortly thereafter. This office was in the basement of a store at the corner of Broadway and Rosser. His next move was to take over the entire building. This soon became too confining and he moved Southern Mercantile to another building on Hill Street. At this location he kept expanding by knocking out a wall whenever the business next door went out or moved. He still had mercantile routes all over east Arkansas. But his next move would be a major one.
In 1964, he bought land and built a new building on N Washington Street. This new building was away from the downtown area and was 11,000 square feet on the main floor and about 6,000 upstairs.