High-end concept opens in Tulsa
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 27, 2002
TULSA, Okla. — A homebuilder and developer has opened a large, upscale home furnishings store in a former rodeo arena here, riding with a one-stop-shopping, take-with retail approach.
The International is using about 70,000 square feet of a 110,000-square-foot facility to display its mix of upscale furniture, antiques, home accents, area rugs, garden décor, cabinetry and other goods, designed to make it a one-stop home shopping destination, said Tressia Ables, operations manager and a former sales associate at competitor Mathis Bros.
"This extraordinary venue offers a first-rate showroom where the shopping experience will be as outstanding as the merchandise and services," said Gary Burton, managing partner and the biggest stakeholder in the new store, located about 12 minutes south of downtown Tulsa at U.S. 75 and 171st Street.
Burton, the homebuilder and developer, is making his first foray into home furnishings retailing.
Initial response has been strong, Ables said, adding she would like to see the store generate more than $10 million in sales this year.
She said the store is "kind of like a museum of furniture," where consumers can see antiques alongside contemporary furniture displays within room settings and against beautiful backdrops, including large water fountains.
Furniture, accessories and other goods are being sold right off the floor, obviating the need for a large warehouse. But Ables noted the store sits on a 100-acre tract with plenty of room for expansion, including a warehouse when it's needed.
Key furniture suppliers include Hickory Chair, Vanguard, Heckman, Hurtado, French Heritage, Wesley Hall, Woodmark, Pavilion, Huntington House and Highland House. The International is showing the latter's new Harrods Fine Furniture Collection.
The store also features Native Lines, a limited-edition furniture collection by Recherche of Tulsa that "promotes and preserves the heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes of Native Americans," the retailer said.
In youth bedroom, The International offers goods from Loftus Design, and its main bedding supplier is Eastman House.
Outside the galleries for Harrods, Vanguard and French Heritage, the furniture generally is displayed in lifestyle vignettes, Ables said.
The retailer soon will expand into the rest of the ex-rodeo arena's space with more goods — including lighting and more moderate-priced furniture — and the country's second Southern Living Dream Home, she said.
The International will used Burton's homebuilding experience to build the 3,000-square-foot home in the store, then furnish it with the store's lines.
The house was designed by Tulsa architect Jack Arnold. Plans call for a putting green, swimming pool and circular drive. With extensive landscaping and other exterior touches, the home probably will take up about 15,000 square feet of the remaining space, Ables said.
The Dream Home is expected to be completed by the end of March, and the retailer plans to start advertising in shelter publications in April, then this summer run a large advertising supplement featuring the home in detail, Ables said.
"We're looking at a two-year open house period, perhaps even longer," said Bill McDougald, director of Southern Living Homes Group, a marketing arm of the magazine.
| Inspired by the Marie Antoinette designs at the Versailles palace, Hurtado's Versailles dining room in solid beech with walnut veneers retails for about $24,000 at The International. |
| The International offers Tulsa consumers a mix of upscale furniture, home accents and other home furnishings. In March, the retailer plans to open the country's second Southern Living Dream Home inside the 110,000-square-foot store. |
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