Beginning with a single store in downtown Atlanta,[2] Havertys has grown to become one of the top furniture retailers in the south and central United States.

The first store was located at 14 East Hunter Street (now 117 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) in Atlanta, Georgia.

A year and a half after the first Rhodes-Haverty store opened, J.J. Haverty moved westward to St. Louis, Missouri with his family to expand, and soon after bought interest in a number of smaller showrooms.

[2] Also during this period, J.J. Haverty and Amos Rhodes formed another partnership, this time to erect the Rhodes-Haverty Building, which would remain Atlanta's tallest structure until 1954.

Havertys' strong financial positions enabled the company to weather the difficult years ahead.

[2] Clarence Haverty, who had run the business for many years, was officially named president in 1938, at which time his father J.J. became chairman of the board.

[2] In December 1941, the United States entered World War II and the company faced hard times brought on by the rationing of furniture production materials.

Clarence Haverty's son, Rawson, returned from war and assumed the position of Corporate Secretary.

Rawson Haverty led the company through this transition as president and chief executive officer until 1984, when he was elected as chairman of the board.

Most of the company's sales volume is now of merchandise exclusively designed, sourced and produced under the Havertys brand.

Clancy provided continuity and guidance when J.J.'s great-grandson Clarence H. Smith, who spent his entire career experiencing all facets of the company, became president and CEO in 2002.

The year 2010 marked yet another change for company leadership as L. Phillip Humann succeeded Clancy Ridley as chairman of the board.

[10] A line of eco-friendly furniture with innovative elements designed to leave a smaller environmental footprint was introduced in 2009.