Cantoni brightens L.A. scene
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 26, 2003
Los Angeles — Upscale contemporary specialist Cantoni has opened a second Southern California store here, a 10,000-square-foot unit at 420 North La Brea Ave.
It's the smallest of the Dallas-based retailer's four stores and its first non-standalone unit, part of a row of stores targeting affluent consumers.
Cantoni soft-opened the store this past fall, then held a grand-opening party co-hosted by Los Angeles magazine and "Access Hollywood" that drew about 300 people. Proceeds from the raffle of a $2,000 Cantoni shopping spree and an autographed script of an episode of NBC-TV's "Will & Grace" benefited the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
The retailer's goal is to provide the latest contemporary home furnishings from the world's most cutting-edge designers, said Michael Wilkov, president and owner of the chain with stores in Dallas, Houston and Irvine, Calif. The latter opened in 2000.
"Cantoni's success in Irvine over the past couple of years has given us a great indication that the West Coast is a solid growth market, and that the area is primed for a unique store concept such as ours," Wilkov said.
Key suppliers to the new store include American Leather, Excelsior, Dellarobbia, Thayer Coggin and Greg Sheres International. The showroom also features Cantoni's expanding line of imported home furnishings under the Cantoni Collection name, an accessories gallery with gift and decorative items, and an original contemporary art collection.
The new store, which cuts the driving time for central L.A.-area consumers who faced heavy traffic on their way to the Irvine unit, has drawn business from affluent L.A. communities such as Beverly Hills, Bel Air, West Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills, West Lake, Marina Del Rey and others, said Richard Pabon, vice president of West Coast operations.
Cantoni now is delivering in Southern California as far south as San Diego and from Newport Beach to Palm Springs.
"The new L.A. showroom is a natural progression of our growth throughout the West Coast," Pabon said.
Cantoni has not disclosed projected sales for the new store or an estimate for total sales this year. Wilkov has said the company was on track to do more than $30 million in total sales in 2002.
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Cantoni enters Atlanta with Innovations buy
Apr 13, 2003 -
Cantoni to open 2nd Southern Calif. store
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