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In 1943 Oscar McNeil opened a furniture store in a former hotel on Church Street in downtown Marion, Virginia. World War II was still raging and with most industrial efforts going toward the war effort, newly manufactured furniture was only available to dealers who could supply lumber to replenish the factory's needs. Mr. McNeil would haul a load of Smyth County Virginia lumber to North Carolina and bring back new furniture to sell. Most merchandise available for purchase in the store was items that had been used and were purchased in large cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Cincinnati. The business moved to Main Street in Marion in 1970 when the hotel was demolished.