Oak Outlet owner decides time is right to retire

Mike Lavin, owner of Carson Oak Outlet, has decided to call it "retirement" and will shut down his furniture store by December.

His business, one of the remaining anchor stores in the former Sak N' Save shopping center on Highway 50 East, has seen better days, Lavin said.

"I have this old saying that you save for a rainy day," Lavin said. "And the monsoons are here."

Lavin began a liquidation sale on Thursday, marking items 25 to 60 percent off. He has about $500,000 worth of inventory he plans on selling by the time winter rolls around.

The sour economy helped Lavin come to the conclusion that now is the time to walk away from the 23-year-old business, which came to Carson City in 1991. He's been at his current location since 1997.

Once he closes the store for good in about three months, Lavin said he plans on traveling, golfing and fishing - he just recently got his first passport.

"I'm going to try retirement," said Lavin, 56, who lives in Reno with his wife. "Many people who know me say, 'Gosh, you're going to last six months and then you're going to be back out there doing something.' And I could; it could be in this business, it could be in anything."

Lavin said business today is down about 60 percent from 2006, the peak of the housing boom.

"It's been a great business, the first 19 years were pretty good, but ever since 2007 it's been sliding with housing, and everybody is probably in that same boat over the last three years. Most businesses have been hit and certainly furniture is one of them."