El Dorado adds new touches to largest store
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, February 15, 2004
MIAMI — El Dorado Furniture opened its largest and perhaps most dazzling store here with new architectural touches and departments along the lines of its familiar Boulevard setting.
The 140,000-square-foot store on North Kendall Drive in Miami's Kendall suburb is expected to become El Dorado's highest- volume store, doing about $50 million in annual sales in its second year, said Pedro Capo, chief operating officer of the family-run Top 100 company.
It replaces much smaller unit a few blocks away that will become a clearance outlet.
The store uses El Dorado's successful Boulevard concept — now in six of its nine stores — but with plenty of new twists.
Where other Boulevard stores feature interior streetscapes with storefront facades from a particular geographic area or historical period, El Dorado mixes it up in Kendall. The faux storefronts mimic buildings and architectural details from around the world, from Roman architecture at its Carlo Perazzi contemporary store to the Swiss feel of its Pulaski grandfather clock gallery to the Bavarian-style entrance of its Shades of Leather gallery.
"Consumers need a place where they can enjoy their shopping experience and be able to find what they like at a price they feel comfortable with. This is the whole idea behind the Boulevard concept," said Robert Capo, chief marketing officer of the midpriced retailer.
El Dorado threw a pre-opening "street party" on the Boulevard that drew hundreds of consumers and industry people to enjoy the refreshments, live music (a regular attraction on weekends) and a look at the new unit, which soft-opened in November.
The store was still putting finishing touches on displays recently.
The grand opening week drew roughly 10,000 people — a great success considering it had soft-opened and already was well established, said Robert Capo.
The Kendall store should help boost El Dorado's sales to about $150 million this year, Pedro Capo said.
That would help the chain recover from a challenging and flat 2003, which was hindered by logistics problems surrounding a 125,000-square-foot expansion of its Miami Gardens distribution center.
In addition to the global architectural touches — which El Dorado hopes to turn into an educational experience for children — the new store has several other firsts for the retailer, including an antique reproductions area with finds from Broyhill's Attic Heirlooms collection and other sources
"Most of the stuff we look at (during furniture markets) is a reproduction of something else," Pedro Capo said, adding that this seems to mesh with growing consumer desire for something unusual or eclectic.
"We had a few real antique pieces in there, and it's something we'll be looking to buy more of in the future," he said.
The Kendall store also is the first with a full-blown Christopher Casablanca area, the brainchild of Pedro Capo. It's based on a story he developed about a young boy who lives on an island, and one day loses track of his parents.
The boy — Christopher — winds up sailing the seven seas in search of them, and the vignettes, set up with museum-like flair behind low-chain guard rails, represent some of the places he's been: France (featuring a Jessica McClintock queen bedroom group from Lea), Mexico, Cuba and the western United States.
Other countries will follow and will vary from store to store as the program is rolled out.
The store also features more home accents and occasional furniture boutiques than other Boulevard units, including a mirror and wall art hall, an area devoted to brass statuettes from Asia Art and a contemporary boutique reinforcing looks available in the Carlo Perazzi area, but with more of an emphasis on such things as take-with items and color options.
Some of the boutiques reach out onto the Boulevard, giving the retailer more usable selling space.
El Dorado also created an area called Beginnings, with starting price points, and updated its youth furniture area with a Cool Kids Hangout theme and new façade.
For its play area, El Dorado partnered with Radio Disney for a Radio Disney Kids Corner, with posters and movies to keeps kids entertained.
Key suppliers include Natuzzi, Ashley, Palliser, AICO, Schnadig, Kathy Ireland Home by Standard, Lazar, Diamond Sofa and Simmons in bedding.
Later this year, the retailer plans to begin work on a 30,000-square-foot expansion of its two-year-old Boulevard store in Pembroke Pines.
When that project is completed, possibly by year's end, the store will grow to 140,000 square feet and is expected to rival the Kendall unit for highest sales volume.
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