Pilgrim planning second store
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 27, 2008
Milford, Conn. — Pilgrim Furniture City of Southington, Conn., will open a second 80,000-square-foot store here with environmentally friendly features as well as some trademark touches.
The midpriced store, expected to open in late March or early April, involves a $5 million renovation of a former manufacturing plant on 7 1/2 acres across from Costco on the Boston Post Road.
Connie Post Cos., which designed both the interior and exterior, developed "a unique approach to furniture shopping, which will make the experience as consumer-friendly as possible," the retailer said.
Mike Albert, Pilgrim's president and co-owner, projected the new store will generate annual sales of $25 million to $30 million — probably more than doubling the $25 million the company did in 2007 at its 85,000-square-foot Southington showroom.
He said the state has approved a $1.3 million grant to help pay for 1,100 solar panels that Pilgrim plans to install on the roof of the new showroom. The store will be the largest commercial building in New England to be solar powered, and the system should meet 40% to 60% of the store's energy needs, Albert said.
The company also is working with Tri-Star Services of Danbury, Conn., to install a highly energy-efficient heating and air conditioning system.
"I think it's time that businesses take a more active role in protecting the environment," Albert said. "We've done a lot of research with our new development and have incorporated as many environmentally sound systems and strategies as we could."
To cut down on the showroom's lighting usage, Pilgrim also will have two 12-foot clerestory windows on the roof.
Two revolving platforms near the store's entrance will showcase best sellers and new fashion trends. Other features will include a café and Pilgrim's trademark carousel.
"Our budget was not large, about $25 per square foot, but the look is worth twice that," Albert said. "The store is wide open with really cool graphics."
Dave Coll, director of design for Connie Post, said the new store's architectural design is meant to differentiate it from other retailers in the area. Features of the 327-foot long exterior include a stacked stone veneer, a red metal roof that ties to Pilgrim's corporate color scheme, decorative gable trusses and Bahamian-inspired metal shutters.
The retailer noted that its new store is bringing together three one-time competitors from furniture-retailing families in Connecticut — Albert; the project developer David Rubin, who is related to the former owners of Wayside Furniture; and Pilgrim co-owner and Vice President Steve Bichunsky, whose family owned Meriden Auction Rooms.
No changes are expected in key suppliers, which include Ashley, Tradewins, Legacy Classic, Lane, Universal, England, Klaussner, Aspenhome, Craftmaster, Winners Only, Jofran and Simmons bedding.
Pilgrim's existing store is about 30 miles from the new site. "We expect minimal competition between the two locations," Albert said.
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