UNITED STATES
               SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                     Washington, D.C.  20549
                                
                                
                            FORM 8-K

                         CURRENT REPORT

                 Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)
             of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

               Date of Report:     August 19, 2005
       (Date of earliest event reported:  August 18, 2005)
                                
                HAVERTY FURNITURE COMPANIES, INC.
     (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


         Maryland            1-14445           58-0281900
      (State or other      (Commission     (I.R.S. Employer
      jurisdiction of     File Number)   Identification No.)
      incorporation or
       organization)                         
                                             
                                                    
                      780 Johnson Ferry Road,
                            Suite 800,
                      Atlanta, Georgia 30342
      (Address of principal executive officers) ( Zip Code)
       Telephone number, including area code:   (404) 443-2900
   

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is
intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the
registrant under any of the following provisions (see General
Instruction A.2. below):

[ ]  Written  communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities
     Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under  the  Exchange
     Act (17CFR240.14a-12)
  
[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
     Exchange Act (17CFR240.14d-2(b))
  
[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)  under
     the Exchange Act (17CFR240.13e-4(c))
   

   

Item 1.01.  Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

      On  August  18,  2005,  the Board of Directors  of  Haverty
Furniture  Companies,  Inc. upon recommendation  of  the  Board's
Executive  Compensation Committee, approved the  acceleration  of
vesting of all "out-of-the-money", unvested stock options held by
current  employees,  including  executive  officers  and  certain
employee directors.  An option was considered out-of-the money if
the  stated  option exercise price was greater than  $12.57,  the
closing price of the Company's common stock on August 18, 2005.
     
     Options  to purchase approximately 482,400 shares of  common
stock,  which  otherwise  would have vested  on  a  yearly  basis
through  2008, will become immediately exercisable.  The weighted
average exercise price of the options subject to the acceleration
is $17.49.

     The decision to initiate the acceleration was made primarily
to  reduce  compensation expense that would  be  expected  to  be
recorded  in  future periods following the Company's adoption  on
January  1,  2006 of Statement of Financial Accounting  Standards
No.  123R,  "Share-Based Payment (revised 2004)".  As  a   result
of the   acceleration,  the  Company  expects   to   reduce  this
compensation expense, net of tax, by  a   total   ofapproximately
$3.8 million (approximately $2.0 million  in  2006, $1.1  million
in 2007, and $0.7 million in 2008).  This  estimate is subject to
change but is based on value calculations using the Black-Scholes
methodology.

     Holders  of  incentive  stock  options  ("ISO")  within  the
meaning  of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,  as
amended,  will be given the election to decline the  acceleration
of  their  options if such acceleration would have the effect  of
changing  the  status  of  such option  for  federal  income  tax
purposes from an ISO to a non-qualified stock option.
        
     Of the 482,400 options affected by the acceleration, options
to  purchase  155,000  shares of common stock  are  held  by  our
executive officers as set forth below.

                                              Aggregate      Weighted
                                           Number of Shares  Average
                                             Issuable Under  Exercise
                                               Accelerated   Price Per
   Officer             Position                  Options      Share
   -------             --------            ----------------  ---------
                                         
                                                        
Clarence H. Ridley   Chairman of the Board       42,250       $17.08

Clarence H. Smith    President and Chief         37,250       $17.24
                      Executive Officer
     
Dennis L. Fink       Executive Vice President    30,250       $17.20
                      Chief Financial Officer

M. Tony Wilkerson    Executive Vice President,   23,250       $17.13
                       Merchandising

Rawson Haverty, Jr.  Senior Vice President,      22,000       $17.27
                      Real Estate and
                        Development

   
   
                                
                           SIGNATURES

   Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act  of
1934,  the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed  on
its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                            HAVERTY FURNITURE COMPANIES, INC.
                            
                            
August 19, 2005            By:   /s/ Jenny Hill Parker
                               -----------------------------
                                   Jenny Hill Parker
                                    Vice President,
                               Secretary and Treasurer