'A natural progression'; The owners of Bacon's Furniture say keeping things in the family is more than a good business plan.(BUSINESS & MONEY)

When Bill Bacon came to Punta Gorda in 1977, he left a job managing almost 2,000 people to help his dad sell furniture in a city with only a few more folks than that.

Today, his sons are helping him sell furniture in three stores in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

The Bacons are a rare family in Southwest Florida. Father, then son, and now the son's sons have lasted in the same business longer than most people have lived here.

"The reason we have been so successful is that from the very beginning, my grandfather and my father set priorities," said Lee Bacon, the oldest of Bill's two sons. "Keep the good Lord first, your family second and the business third, in that order. If you reverse those, I think that's when things start getting out of perspective."

Bill Bacon, 52, owns Bacon's Furniture, which is headquartered and just opened a new 50,000-square-foot showroom in Port Charlotte. He bought the business from his father, Robert, back when it was called Palmer's Furniture and had one …