"The Debris of Miracles in Our Lives" This phrase was coined by Doug Anderson, a missionary and my friend. These words are my attempt to honor and glorify Christ, and they are written to my children, grandchildren, and beyond—so all may know that God is Lord of all, and He is in control. He is Sovereign!
“In his heart a man plans his course, but it is the Lord who determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
“Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.” – Ecclesiastes 7:12
I wish I could say I was keenly aware of God’s plan throughout my early life, but that would be a stretch, to say the least. I was baptized at 11 years old. However, like most, my relationship with Christ was not very mature, and I often had Gary on the throne of my heart—not Christ.
One of God’s greatest characteristics is His patience—and I was blessed. I truly lived a charmed existence most of my youth and young adult life. I loved sports, loved school, and I excelled. Looking back now, it’s so clear to see God’s fingerprints all over my life, my family, and our business. I want to publicly express how grateful and thankful I am that Jesus loves me and has given me His many great promises. And through experience, I know that NOTHING can separate us from His great love!
Before I begin to tell more of my story and how God has worked in my life and Braden’s Furniture Co., I realized I should start with Mildred and McKinley Braden’s story—and how this business came to be. Its very existence was a most improbable occurrence… a miracle. And since its beginning, everything that has happened is because of God’s promises and my parents’ faithfulness to Him.
The Beginning
Braden’s was established on May 1, 1956, by McKinley and Mildred Braden. My parents were strong believers in God and had an entrepreneurial spirit. As part of the “Greatest Generation,” they had an incredible work ethic and understood sacrifice. They grew up during the Great Depression and both served in WWII—my dad as a Seabee attached to the Marines in the South Pacific, and Mom as a factory worker doing her part back home.
While overseas for three years without leave, Dad made bracelets and necklaces out of seashells—and ashtrays and cups from spent brass ammo casings and crashed Japanese airplane parts he scavenged. He sold enough of those to buy himself and Mom a new car when he came home!
After the war, Dad went to work for Grubb Bevit Hardware for $35 a week. He and Mom taught Sunday School together—he was Director, she was Secretary. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1950, the hardware store burned to the ground. Dad was left jobless with a decision to make. He was offered a better-paying position with a large hardware distributor and a lower-paying one with Nashville Chair Co. as a traveling salesman.
After much prayer, Mom encouraged him to take the lower-paying job—they both believed he’d go further long-term with the smaller company. He grew his territory, was promoted to assistant manager, and then... another twist. The store manager passed away suddenly, and Dad, at age 33, became the Knoxville manager.
But Nashville Chair decided to shut the Knoxville branch down. Dad asked if he could buy the furniture division. They agreed—but gave him a tight deadline.
Dad had everything but the money. He had a plan, people willing to work, a wife, a one-year-old, but no capital. He convinced two friends to invest—but still needed a third partner. With 24 hours left before the deal died...
God showed up.
It was late—around 8 p.m. Mom was home praying. The building was in a rough part of town, and one of the employees had left the front door unlocked. A man Dad barely knew happened to drive by. He saw the light on, walked all the way to the back, and asked what Dad was still doing there. Two and a half hours later, that man—Mr. Williams—put up the last third of the money.
Braden’s Furniture was born.
If that’s not an angel working in our lives, I don’t know what is.
Early Growth
Each partner got a share. Dad ran the whole operation. All partners were bought out within 15 years—and they remained lifelong friends.
In 1973, Braden’s moved to Western Avenue—the same year I signed a football scholarship with the University of Tennessee. Dad built our building—a Butler steel structure with orange siding and a white roof. He said it was for UT, but I think it was probably just the cheapest color!
I joined full-time in 1977. Honestly, I’d been in the business my whole life—going to markets and conventions with my parents since I was 7. I got to meet most of the industry leaders from around the country.
In 1980, Dad stepped away to become Chairman of United Way of Knoxville. He never really returned to the furniture business. I was 25—too young to be running things—but I appreciated his confidence in me.
Fowler Brothers and Lessons Learned
In 1982, we bought Fowler Brothers Furniture of Knoxville—a four-store chain. It had a good name but no leadership. The original owners had passed away, and the remaining family wasn’t involved.
I was stretched thin—young, overworked, with a wife, two kids, and a big business. I made a key mistake: I began chasing goals instead of God’s plan. The wholesale business was strong, but I had no one to promote. Each Fowler’s store had done its own thing.
When I visited one of them, the manager said, “Feel free to stop by anytime.” That should’ve been a warning sign. Lesson learned: never expand without solid people. You can’t leave a business to run itself and expect it to thrive.
I was still young, new to the Braden’s staff—Dad’s team, not mine. I hired someone I trusted to run things at Braden’s while I focused on Fowlers. For the next 8 years, I worked 6 to 7 days a week—10 to 9 Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 6 on Sundays. It was too much—especially for Karen and our three young kids.
Big Dreams, Big Trouble
In 1989, we bought five acres in Windsor Square off I-40 and built a 110,000-square-foot Fowlers Furniture Center—my dream store. Sales boomed.
But I was completely disconnected from Braden’s. I’d check in by phone or over lunch. I thought I had it all going on—by the world’s standards.
Then came the challenge that would test everything—our business, our family, our faith.
In June 1992, the manager I had trusted walked out without notice—along with most of the downtown Braden’s staff. They had been secretly building a competing business for months. Our downtown store was in jeopardy. Financially, we were in deep trouble.
God to the Rescue
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their sins, I will hear them from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”
A few hard months followed. My father-in-law, recently downsized and retired in Nashville, moved to Knoxville to oversee Fowlers so we could focus on rebuilding Braden’s. That was a blessing—for us and for him. He needed the mental engagement, and he was awesome. I felt secure with him watching over things.
Miracle Time
Out of nowhere, I got a call from Marty Shottenstein, President of Rhodes Furniture—a huge corporation getting ready to go public. They wanted our new big Fowlers store. We struck a deal. They even bought all the unmatched container inventory left behind by the “trusted one” because they had the resources to match it up. Plus, they signed a long-term lease for the building!
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways… Refrain from anger… for those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” – Psalm 37:7-10
(Still waiting on that last part, by the way.)
The Great Recession and the Real Refining
By 2006, things looked good again. We had two stores—Braden’s Downtown and Braden’s Lifestyles in Turkey Creek, which opened in 2004. Our oldest son Nick was doing a great job running it.
So, we had this great plan, expand to three stores, and build nice little Braden’s Lifestyle.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” – Isaiah 55:8-9
In 2007, we bought a massive building in Sevierville and renovated it to the max. Too big, really. We also bought a larger warehouse in Maryville—overpaid for that one. Now we had three stores, more debt, and no room for error.
And then everything fell apart.
- The economy tanked. The Great Recession hit hard.
- The federal highway project tore up our only access to our flagship downtown showroom —orange barrels everywhere, no one wanted to drive to us.
- The main road in Sevierville got torn up too, turning traffic into a parking lot.
- The cabin industry—our core customer base—collapsed. Sales at downtown dropped 70% in a year. Sevierville never had a shot. Turkey Creek was too new to cover the others.
People told us to file bankruptcy. Get out. Go work for a manufacturer. The kids were young and smart—they’d bounce back.
But I didn’t feel right about that. The Bible says to pay your debts. And deep inside, I never felt released. This was the darkest time of my life. God used it to remake us—to humble us, rebuild our faith, and strip away pride. We had to trust, surrender, and obey.
“Though the fig tree does not bud… and there are no sheep in the pens… yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” – Habakkuk 3:17–19
Karen—my soul mate—showed me great love and compassion. That’s what strengthened me.
God’s Way Forward
We had some vultures circling—“bad bank,” shady liquidators, con men. One guy claimed he could perform miracles with liquidation. We almost fell for it. Later we found out he was a fraud, robbing struggling businesses blind.
But God had a better plan.
He sent Tom McDonald of The Lynch Company. Tom showed up on a blind sales call. I’d never heard of his company—but he was a Christian, and I felt immediate peace. Over the next 70 days, during one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, we sold $6.5 million in inventory. Tom was blown away. Still one of his company’s biggest successes.
Now we had to shift everything to Turkey Creek—cut staff, slash expenses, beg vendors to help. Factories were closing. Retailers were dropping like flies. 30% of our industry vanished.
Then came Mrs. Audi from Stickley—our most important vendor and a fellow believer. I was sitting at my parents’ driveway when I felt a deep pull to call her. Miraculously, she picked up after 5 p.m. We talked 30 minutes. She gave us $164,000 in credit at 1% interest. That allowed us to set up our Stickley Gallery in Turkey Creek and rebuild.
More Struggles, More Miracles
We still had a big problem: real estate no one wanted and banks breathing down our necks.
- Good bank had a lien on Sevierville but worked with us.
- Bad bank had more collateral—including personal guarantees—and they squeezed us. Raised interest, called our line of credit, tried to force us to sell the Maryville warehouse for 50 cents on the dollar.
I refused. I felt like I was dealing with Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life.
So, Karen and I sold our dream home and gave every penny to the good bank. Paid down the Sevierville debt. We were homeless—but not without family. At 55, we moved into my parents’ upstairs bedroom. For three years.
That’s true love on Karen’s part.
Then came another miracle: a hailstorm. Destroyed tons of patio furniture all over town. Folks came to replace it—with insurance money. That storm saved our cash flow.
The Fire
Things calmed a bit by 2010—but bad bank was still after us. Then, at 5:30 p.m. one day in April, I got a call: our Maryville warehouse was on fire.
I thought it was over. I drove there asking, “Why, God? Why now?” Smoke billowed out of eight bay doors. Ten fire trucks. Police everywhere. I thought we’d lost everything—inventory, computers, our future.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” – Psalm 27:1–3
When I walked in at 1 a.m., I didn’t exactly represent that verse very well. But weeks later, I saw the miracle.
A guy leasing space from us had pulled his truck inside the warehouse to apply decals with a heat gun—basically a blowtorch. When he finished, he locked the hot gun in the truck and left. The truck caught fire.
But by God’s grace, it was parked directly under a sprinkler head. The firemen said anywhere else and the building would’ve burned to the ground. The water created a canopy effect—massive smoke, but the structure was saved. Our computers survived. We cleaned inventory using ionization. And the insurance check gave us life again.
Hope Restored
Two years later, Nick was selling Stickley to a man named William. They became friends. Nick told him about Sevierville.
William, a real estate investor and deal-maker, agreed to buy the building. He made our payments for a year while working out financing. Twelve months later, he walked into the bank and handed them a cashier’s check.
We were off the hook. Debt ratios improved. We left bad bank. Got a new line of credit. Lower rates. God came through again.
“Be careful you don’t forget the Lord your God… when you’ve built fine houses and lived in them…” – Deuteronomy 8:11–14
Today
It’s 2020, and God continues to lead us and protect us. Everything we have accomplished—He has done for us.
We restored a beautiful old farmhouse on six acres in Loudon County—our true dream home. It fits us better. We’ve celebrated great joys—including the birth of our 7th grandchild—and mourned great losses. Karen’s mom, my dad, and our daughter-in-law have gone to be with Jesus.
But His love remains.
The legacy I hope we leave—what I pray lives on in our children and their children—is this:
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
We try to watch for how God shows His love in every circumstance we face. And we give thanks.
Thank you, Legacy Center, for allowing me to share our story with you today.
Speech given by Gary Braden for the Legacy Center September 11, 2020
