Gold+Williams: Big store for Big Apple
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, November 11, 2007
New York — With the opening of the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams flagship store here last month, company co-founder and Chairman Mitchell Gold fulfilled an 18-month quest to find the ideal location.
The 11,000-square-foot store, the second company-owned unit, is housed in a spanking new Andre Balazs-designed apartment building on Lafayette Street in Manhattan. It's in an area Gold is convinced will become a major shopping venue between the Nolita and Soho districts.
The new store is considerably larger than the first few units in the chain, which were about 2,500 square feet. Today's stores run 8,000 to 10,000 square feet.
"The difference now is that we are much more than just upholstered furniture; we have rugs, lamps, accessories and case goods," Gold said.
Except for the store here and the unit in Washington, the chain of 16 stores is operated by licensees. The geographical reach extends from Mexico City to Toronto, and Natick, Mass., to Palm Springs, Calif. There also are three shop-within-a-shop presentations, including the first one at ABC Carpet & Home here, which opened in 2002.
Gold said each store has its own character.
"I think of them as Mrs. Field's cookies. They all have the same dynamics but it depends on location," he said. In contrast to the starkly modern setting at the new store here, for instance, the Washington store is in a limestone landmark of a building.
Gold said the newest store reflects his and Williams' vision of how furniture should be shown. "We have given space to let people stand back and really see the furniture," rather than crowd the floor like many stores, he said. Design elements showcase the furniture, and there is adjustable lighting throughout.
From the ceiling to the windows to the display vignettes, the store is decorated with written statements of the company's design and lifestyle philosophy. "People stop and read who we are," said Gold.
And, of course, as a company that has the English bulldog Lulu as a mascot and model in its advertising, pets are welcome. Gold said the company also will offer the store for charity functions as part of its community involvement.
Looking ahead, the company plans to open a store in February in Greenwich, Conn., and later in Houston.
"For the future, we're going to be very careful," Gold said. "Commercial real estate is really hard."
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Gold+Williams: Big store for Big Apple
Nov 12, 2007
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