Laplante’s Furniture Company

In the meantime, Odie’s father had been looking around for something to do and finally purchased Laplante’s Furniture Company. Arthur Laplante had been in business for many years but his doctors had told him to stop, and he died a few years later. He had started as a floor covering store in a small shop and later branched into furniture. But the business was still great in floor covering and our ads always carried the logo “The Largest Floor Covering Store in the Blackstone Valley.” At this point I must admit that after being in the Army during WWII, I didn’t have the desire about a law career. Four years without reading law books had stunted my love for a legal career. So I started in the furniture business with her father.

While working at the law office, quitting time was 5 pm. The furniture store, less than three blocks away closed at 6 pm, (Thursdays 9 pm and a few years later, 9 pm also on Tuesdays.) I started going to the furniture store, began cashing up every day and when my father-in-law became ill, I stayed on the nights the store was open. Eventually I left the Halpert’s office and worked full time at the furniture store as Odie’s father appeared to be weakening.

I didn’t give up on the law. I had a few cases but I decided to quit when a good customer asked me to evict a tenant who owed her about 4 or 5 month’s rent. We went to court, the judge told the tenant to pay her one week’s rent or he’d be evicted, and to pay back rent. The tenant moved out a couple of days later without paying anything. She didn’t know where he went, blamed me, never paid me, and never came back as a customer! After that all I did besides work at the store was income tax work, as many of our customers were Portuguese or Cape Verdean immigrants. I made many friends by working at a reasonable price, and in the process I learned to speak more Portuguese. I had studied Spanish in high school and at Providence College which helped me, and both languages helped me in the furniture business.