Interiors opens second store in Harrisburg, Pa.

New location features Natuzzi gallery, design center

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, November 20, 2009

Century’s Milan Collection dining room in Satin Walnut makes a contemporary statement at Interiors.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The midpriced to upscale Interiors has expanded its reach in Pennsylvania with the opening of its second store here.

The Lancaster, Pa.-based retailer acquired the former Good's Furniture store in Harrisburg for its new 34,000-square-foot showroom on Lewis Road. At a little over half the size of its flagship store in Lancaster, Pa., the new unit features a selection of Interiors' top-performing collections.

Todd Lehman, the company's president and co-owner with his brother, Gregg Lehman, said he was "very pleased" with the early response to the store, which opened Nov. 7. A grand opening is planned for the spring.

Interiors invested about $3 million in the project, including inventory, Todd Lehman said. He wouldn't disclose projected sales figures for the store, but said he expects overall business to grow to the $15 million to $20 million range in 2010. Furniture/Today had estimated its 2008 sales at $10 million to $15 million in the latest Beyond the Top 100 report.

The Harrisburg expansion stems from a long-term consulting relationship Interiors has with Al Wight of Strategic Decisions, whose work also led the Lehman brothers to expand and renovate the Lancaster store in 2002 and again in 2007.

Interiors - which at one time emphasized the high end - has broadened its line to cover the middle price points while "staying true to our mission which is high-quality product and a focus on fashion and design," Lehman said.

In Harrisburg, sofas starts at about $799, with the retailer's private label Studio 67 brand (supported by Klaussner) and go up to $3,999 with frames from Stickley, Century and Thomasville.

The new store features a 2,000-square-foot Natuzzi gallery and a 2,000-square-foot design center featuring thousands of fabric options, custom window treatments and hand-made rugs.

Lehman said the company received "excellent support" from nearly all of its vendors, including those mentioned above as well as Flexsteel, Stanley, Hooker and Englander. Only one unnamed supplier to the Lancaster store is not in the new store because of distribution issues in Harrisburg, where Interiors' competitors include Wolf Furniture and N.B. Liebman.

Martin Roberts of New York-based Grid2 handled interior space design for the new store. Lehman said Roberts did an excellent job of carrying the exterior look of the flagship store to the Harrisburg showroom. The logo and storefront design figure prominently in the retailer's image and advertising, and give the company great visibility from a nearby highway, he added.

Lehman expects little cannibalization of Lancaster sales, noting that less than 10% of its business came from Harrisburg-area consumers and is driven by staff interior designers with clients in the area.

He described business conditions as challenging, with sales off single digits compared to last year, but also noted an uptick in September and October.

"To be honest, it's been challenging to step out and make this decision (to expand) when the economy is so difficult," he said. But he added that the tough climate also meant the company got great pricing from building contractors.

"And we've been able to attract some top design talent in the Harrisburg market," he said.