Besche Furniture celebrates 50 years

We at Besche Furniture of Gravel Hill are proud to be celebrating our 50-year anniversary.

Our company was incorporated in September 1971. We are very grateful to our customers for their loyal patronage over the years. We are also thankful to be a part of the free enterprise system in this great country of ours. God has truly blessed our family business.

The Besche story has humble beginnings, going back to the 1770s in Germany. Johannes Christoph Anton Besche (born 1773) and wife Elisabeth began in the farming business in the small village of Oeynhausen, Germany. His ancestors worked in a variety of businesses including woodworking, brickmaking, leather crafting and furniture upholstering, among others.

Christoph’s grandson Franz Joseph Besche heard about the Land of Opportunity and decided to emigrate to the United States. And so Joseph left the family farm with his dreams of finding prosperity in the new land by starting a business and raising a large family. He landed in Baltimore, Md., in 1873. He was a courageous young man of faith – industrious and thrifty. He met and married Regina, also a German immigrant, and together they opened a small home furnishings store in South Baltimore. The ambitious couple had seven children, and all worked in the store. The store name soon became “Four Besche Bros.,” and it went on serving Marylanders for over 100 years.

Anton Besche, one of the brothers, and his wife Stella had seven children. The youngest, Richard Besche, was much like his German ancestors – hardworking, thrifty and ambitious, with a firm faith in God. He moved to the Eastern Shore in the 1960s and started the Delaware store now known as Besche Furniture. He and wife Dolores had five children, all of whom worked in the business. Richard and Dolores made a great team; they were known as Dick and Dee Besche. He was an awesome salesman, and she was an astute bookkeeper.

The original store was on East Market Street in Georgetown, but the business soon moved and expanded out on busy Route 9 in Gravel Hill. The store prospered with the steady growth and development in the region. Currently, there are two large showrooms featuring furniture for every room in the home, including a great selection of accessories, as well as a clearance center with bargains galore.

Here at Besche’s in 2021, we continue our tradition as a mom-and-pop store with a commitment to customer service, competitive pricing and low-pressure sales staff in a relaxed, family-type atmosphere. We look forward to meeting many new customers and keeping all those so loyal to us for many years to come!