25-foot mustachioed Gibraltar Trade Center man is for sale on Facebook Marketplace

A 25-foot mustachioed man once welcomed visitors to a sprawling public market. Now, he’s pointing to the closure of more businesses.

Signage associated with Gibraltar Trade Center, a tall, dark and handsomely dressed man in a bowler hat, was listed on Facebook Marketplace for $1,200 on Friday.

It comes as Gibraltar Rug & Furniture Outlet cleared out three properties Friday, said Matt Friedman, spokesman for financial consulting firm McTevia & Associates. The firm is working with the Koester family, which owns the Gibraltar company.

Once known for its range of booths and celebrity visits, the last standing Gibraltar Trade Center closed its doors in Mt. Clemens in 2017 but announced the opening of multiple furniture outlets.

On Friday, staff and family cleared out stores in Clinton Township and Sterling Heights, as well as a warehouse in Clinton Township, Friedman said.

A retail store in Universal Shopping Center, 28582 Dequindre Road in Warren, will remain, but the fate of the location reads “Closing Date TBD” on the brand’s website.

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Friedman said all plans for the site are tentative — to consolidate sale items into that store and go from there. For now, all staff are being retained.

A saturated market forced the move by the third-generation family business, Friedman said.

“They have decided, because of the increased competition in the furniture business, to consolidate to one location,” he said. “… As part of that consolidation, they are selling inventory that was in the other furniture stores, and this sign was part of that inventory.”

Friedman could not immediately confirm where the sign, which he said came from the trade center, was originally displayed. The online posting noted it wasn’t from outside the trade center.

Contact Darcie Moran: dmoran@freepress.com.