Art Van Furniture, a growing chain based in Warren, Mich., will open early next year in four former Rothman Furniture & Mattress properties, company officials say.

The furniture stores — in Affton, Bridgeton, O'Fallon, Mo., and O'Fallon, Ill. — will be Art Van's first in the St. Louis area. The retailer, founded in 1959, currently has more than 120 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa.

In addition, Magnolia Home by Rothman, a single-store furniture location at 1516 South Hanley Road in Richmond Heights, will be converted to an Art Van Design Studio later this year, said Rothman President and CEO Jay Steinback, who signed a franchise agreement with Art Van for the St. Louis stores.

Steinback, 39, will lead the new Art Van of St. Louis franchise unit that will be based in the St. Louis area, and 220 of Rothman's 230 employees are being offered employment at Art Van, Steinback said.

He sees opportunities to grow Art Van to as many as 10 stores in the St. Louis area and several more elsewhere in Missouri and southern Illinois. “We're actively looking for more sites,” he said, adding he's looking at vacant Sports Authority and Gander Mountain retail spaces.