What started out as a small business fixing and selling washers and dryers that turned into a furniture and appliance shop and eventually the Minerva’s Furniture that has been a Turlock fixture for decades is closing. That family-owned, small business success story will be making its final sales by the end of the month.

“There’s a lot of history. Minerva’s is really sad to shut down. I kind of needed my dad’s blessing, but my father said to me, go right ahead. If you feel like you need to close down, you have my permission,” said Fabiola Sandoval-Sanchez, who owns the business with her husband Jorge Sanchez.

Carlos Sandoval Sr. and his wife Carmen Sandoval began Minerva’s in the mid-1980s after establishing a small 2,000 square foot store on 4th Street. The Sandovals interest in the furniture industry was precipitated by Sandoval Sr.’s experience fixing and selling washers and dryers at the flea market. Once customers began to request additional items like dressers and bedroom sets, Sandoval began to cultivate clientele and lay the foundation for his business.

Eventually the family-owned store moved from its 4th Street location to open up shop at its first West Main Street location in the mid-1990s. However, a fire in the building forced the store to move to another West Main Street storefront before moving to Market Street in the former Youngdale’s building. A year ago, the furniture store moved to another iconic building on Sixth Street.

Sandoval-Sanchez said that she and her family have been through a lot of the past few years — battling cancer and raising a young family — and it was just time to not be working seven days a week.

Minerva’s has been a staple of the Turlock business community, but also over the past 10 years, have also been instrumental in getting families back on their feet after a disaster.

“We've done Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, California. Believe it or not, most of our stuff was out of state,” said Sandoval-Sanchez about their work through insurance companies.

One part of the Minerva’s legacy will live on. In 2014, Minerva’s became the caretakers of a piece of downtown Turlock history.

For over 20 years a statuesque scale stood in the entryway of the downtown restaurant with patrons weighing themselves before and after their meals, yelping in surprise and encouraging their friends to hop on. However, unbeknownst to many, Latif’s was merely the gatekeeper of the scale.

The scale’s true owner is E.L. “Duck” Allen, former proprietor of Boies Drugstore in downtown Turlock, where the scale originally stood since the 1930s. Upon graduating from pharmacy school he joined Boise Drugstore in the mid-1960s and took ownership of the scale upon becoming owner of the store in the 1980s.

The iconic scale was moved when Boies Drugstore relocated away from downtown Turlock and Latif’s became host to the scale in the early 1990s. While the people stepping on the scale have changed over the years, Allen’s desire to keep it in the downtown Turlock has not waned.

At the behest of Allen, Latif’s bestowed the scale upon Minerva’s Furniture, the next gatekeeper of what is now a historical item.

Minerva’s will now bestow the historic scale to the Turlock Historical Society Museum at 108 S. Center St.

Sandoval-Sanchez said when they first moved the scale to their Market Street location, older residents would still come in and weigh themselves before having lunch at Latif’s. She hopes that with the move to the museum, Turlockers will still get to enjoy the scale for generations to come.

Minerva’s Furniture is located at 331 6th St. The store is having a going out of business sale through the end of the month.