Broad River shutting its Savvy Spaces stores

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 28, 2013

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Broad River Furniture is closing its two Savvy Spaces multi-line stores in this metro area, choosing to focus on its Ashley Furniture HomeStores business.
     The Top 100 company has commenced going out- of-business sales at its 20,000-square-foot store near Northlake Mall in Charlotte - which opened this past summer - and at its 36,000-square-foot Savvy Spaces in the Charlotte suburb of Pineville, N.C., which opened about a year and a half ago.
     Sales specialist Planned Furniture Promotions was hired to managed the sale. In a release, the company said Savvy Spaces "quickly developed a loyal base of customers by creating an exciting and fun shopping experience in addition to featuring stylish, high-quality furnishings." Despite this, owner operators Charlie Malouf and Jonathan Ishee "decided to close the stores to focus on" their HomeStores in the Carolinas and Georgia, noting that their 15th HomeStore, a 36,000-squarefoot showroom opened in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 21 and is tracking to be one of Broad River's top stores.
      "These are amazing stores that customers love to visit," Malouf said of Savvy Spaces. "We've enjoyed wonderful growth in sales at Savvy Spaces, but in the end, we had to choose between our two brands. As owners, we simply don't have the time to oversee and properly manage both companies."
     The retailer didn't say how long the GOB sales are expected to run, but said everything will be sold before closing.
Suppliers include Aspen-home, Bernhardt, Hooker, Jaipur, Howard Miller, USA Premium Leather, Klaussner, Serta, Southern Motion and Flexsteel.