UPDATE: Star Furniture opens 75,000-square-foot Houston store
New design replaces smaller unit in area
Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, 11/17/2008 8:09:49 AM
HOUSTON — Star Furniture has opened a two-level, 75,000-square-foot store here, bucking a tough economic environment.
The showroom at Interstate 45 and 1960 in northwest Houston replaces a 60,000-square-foot former unit in the area, and offers an expanded display of the 10-store retailer's midpriced upscale assortment.
Among the areas that have been expanded are a Thomasville gallery — now 7,000 square feet — a rug gallery and the bedding department, where Star has added Simmons to its Serta and Tempur-Pedic lines.
Other key suppliers include Bernhardt, LeatherTrend, Universal, Legacy Classic and Kincaid.
Star CEO Bill Kimbrell characterized the move as a repositioning to a new, standalone location closer to the Woodlands area of Houston, a "high-growth area aligned with our customer base."
He would not disclose projected sales or Star's investment in the new showroom, which was built from the ground up, but said the retailer has been pleased with consumer response during the soft opening. A grand opening begins this weekend.
Kimbrell said Star is pleased with the store's new design, adding that it's "something we'd like to replicate going forward."
Star is part of the Berkshire Hathaway's furniture division, which is No. 5 on Furniture/Today's Top 100 with furniture, bedding and accessories sales last year of more than $1.3 billion.
"Business is not easy by any means," said Kimbrell. While the retailer is holding its own in a market that is probably a little better off than most areas of the country, Hurricane Ike, which pummeled Galveston, Texas, in September, "set us back some," he said. Star's stores were without power and were shut down for five days.
Kimbrell said the new store is part of Star's strategic plan to upgrade facilities and better align itself with its target customer.
"It's part of our commitment to exceptional tailoring, taste level, quality, and of course outstanding value and good service," he added.
