The Crallé Family
Green Front Furniture
The President and owner of the Green Front Furniture Company (pictured at left) represents one of the largest business success stories in Virginia.
"Green Front" got jump started in the mid 1960's when Dickie Crallé, a fresh graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, was given the task of overseeing operations by its previous owner, his father. Dickie quickly changed Green Front's direction from selling promotional furniture items to offer higher quality items at a lower price.
Crallé is the fifth generation of his family to grow up in Farmville and he takes great pride in his hometown. Richard Crallé, Sr. was originally in the grocery business when he opened a small home-furnishing stores in 1955. As they say, the rest his history!
Four decades later, Green Front Furniture now fills twelve massive warehouses wall to wall, floor to ceiling with traditional furnishings and eclectic treasures from around the world. These warehouses now beckon to customers up and down the East Coast and across the nation.
The old 800,000 square foot complex of warehouses, which are now Green Front, have quite a history of their own. The buildings featured above functioned as tobacco prizerys operated by W.G. Dunnington and R.S. Paulette (c. 1918).
Fun fact: The Craddock Terry Warehouse located on the east side of Main Street was constructed mostly from bricks salvaged from the piers that supported the Civil War era "High Bridge".
Dickie and Den Crallé pictured standing in the recently discovered mule stables beneath Charley's Waterfront Café. The stables were used while tobacco sales were conducted upstairs.
Tobacco was "prized," or pressed layer by layer into hogshead barrels weighing up to 1,000 pounds. the barrels were then taken down to the river or the railroad for shipping.
The Appomattox River was used extensively in the late 1700's as a shipping route for tobacco hogsheads. The shallow waters were traveled using nearly flat-bottomed boats called batteaus.
Erected by Town
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.
Location. 37° 18.276′ N, 78° 23.465′ W. Marker is in Farmville, Virginia, in Prince Edward County. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (Virginia Route 45) and Depot Street, on the right when traveling south on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 318 N Main St, Farmville VA 23901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Southside Virginia, and specifically in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
Also see . . . About Green Front Furniture. (Submitted on April 1, 2026.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,962 times since then and 143 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 25, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
