It was truly the end of an era, as Harris Furniture & Auction in Centre closed its doors for the final time on Friday, September 24th (2021) – following more than 45 years in business. 

WEIS Radio sat down and spoke with Don and Barbara Harris about their long career in the auction and furniture business, which really got its start going all the way back to Don’s childhood in DeKalb County:  

And it’s also obvious their long-lasting successful partnership, on a number of levels, is due in very large part to Barbara’s extremely good nature!

Imagine having your husband come home and say “I bought an auction,” Fortunately, it seems to work.  Teamwork is certainly a key component.  Don does the purchasing and that part of the job while his better half always tended to the bookwork – making sure everything was in its proper place, accounted for, logged, noted and so on which is a major part of any successful undertaking.  Of course they discussed the thrill of it as well – the excitement of seeing what would be in the next auction and exactly what it may bring.  They said you’d never know from item to item.

I suppose you could say that success has followed Don and Barbara from location to location over the years, the only thing they’ve never managed to do successfully up to this point, was retire:

Well, they’re trying it again, closing down their 1001 Chesnut Bypass store in Centre, and although we hate to see them go, we join the community in wishing them well.

We know that everyone will miss them as much as they’ll miss all those they’ve come to know and love over the years, both near and far:

Don said he and Barbara will fondly remember all the acquaintances they’ve made over the many years and will stay in touch with as many as possible, pointing out that he has 5,000 Facebook friends!

Don and Barbara Harris have long been mainstays of Cherokee County, keeping alive a tradition of old-fashioned ethics, with a sense of honesty and integrity being part of everything they do.

Theresa Hulgan and Joy Perry with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce summed it up well: