New Roomful Express Furniture Store In Pittsburgh Designed To Feel Like Home

Furniture World Magazine

Construction on the more than $4 million Roomful Express Furniture store located in Pittsburgh's The Pointe at North Fayette recently opened. The 60,000 sq. ft. building houses a furniture inventory valued at more than $1 million and employ a staff of 35 associates. The new store is designed to take on a look and feel that will make customers feel at home, according to Jack McGowan, Roomful Express CEO. "We're extremely excited about the North Fayette opening. The two-level layout is unlike any of our other stores in terms of available showroom space, amenities, and design that customers will find warm, welcoming, and pleasantly surprising," said McGowan. As with another new Roomful Express store that opened in Beaver County, Pa. last September, many of the interior and exterior design elements were created by Connie Post - recognized as the leading retail design and brand strategist in the home furnishings industry. "This store is designed to engage consumers who are shopping for their home," commented Ms. Post from her office in Barboursville, W.Va. "Therefore, I wanted comfortable space with a more home-like, residential feel beginning right at the front door. The majority of furniture stores in America today feature neoclassical exteriors that tend to look cold and stark. Roomful's exterior, on the other hand, is warm and inviting." From striped awnings to columns typically found in private residence entryways, Ms. Post explained the exterior and interior details include windows and walls that "build and strengthen a brand identity that consumers will relate to their own lives," adding that the color and style of the wall and floor coverings found in each of the store's environmental bays are likely to be found in many of today's more fashionable homes. "Consumers buy furniture for the same reasons that they buy a new car or a set of golf clubs...it has to look and feel good, and it has to be a positive shopping experience," said Michael Kuhn, president and owner of Roomful Express Furniture. "We've made every effort to make that happen with our new store construction and remodels." The Company admits the stores' high emotional appeal built into each environmental bay has been targeted to attract women - a consumer demographic that makes or influences 85 percent of all furniture buyingdecisions. "We know our customers are women and very busy women at that," said McGowan. "Everything about our roomful sales concept is geared toward making women's lives easier as soon as they walk through the door. They know our furniture will look good in their home because we're designing our stores to look like their home." Wide aisles offer clear, easy-to-follow entrance and exit sight lines throughout the store that eliminate cramped, claustrophobic surroundings in favor of more open comfort zones - a growing trend in retail space design since September 11, 2001. The large environmental bays - each made up of five or six room settings - are patterned after different interior design styles from traditional and retro to contemporary, mission and colonial oakSeveral working fireplaces are also incorporated into some of the bays to lend an even more homey appeal. The lower level boasts almost half of the available showroom space with what the furniture industry classifies as upholstery - namely sofas, loveseatsand recliners - and dining sets. In addition, an amphitheater complete with sound system and big screen television showcases the store's line of recliners and loungers. The second level, which is accessible by elevator or a grand stairway at the store entrance that rises to a mezzanine accented by a floor to ceiling wood-encased fireplace, includes bedroom suites and a 6,000 sq. ft. closeout section. Two other areas designed to satisfyconsumer demand is a larger than usual youth room section and ample space dedicated to the small office/home office (SOHO) category. "The attention to youth room space corresponds to the evolution of these areas as multi-functional centers of activity," Connie Post continued. "The area is designed to accommodate a youth lifestyle that now includes a need for multi-media work stations, sleeping and dressing areas, and even space to entertain and visit with friends." Meanwhile, according to Post, parents are pushing for more space devoted to work-at-home projects. "Almost a third of all households with dependent children have at least one parent that works from home full or part time," she said. The North Fayette store's upper level addresses two additional consumer research findings: a desire for a hospitality area where customers can relax with a snack and refreshment, and a play area near the customer service station where children can be kept occupied and monitored while parents browse the store. The Roomful Express roomful concept has also been expanded to include decorative accessory packages-wall décor, lighting, floral arrangements, tabletop and area rugs-designed by Connie Post to complement each total room concept. Marketed under the trade name "Affordable Design," (tm) the accessory packages are exclusive to Roomful Express Furniture stores in the Pittsburgh market. "Our roomful furniture concept has moved to a total roomful package that now includes furnishings and accessories that combine an easy and comfortable shopping experience with professionally coordinated color and design selections." said McGowan. "We've taken the guesswork out of home decorating." Roomful Express Furniture () is a family owned company founded in Pittsburgh in 1958. The Company currently employs 355 and operates 12 locations in the Pittsburgh, Johnstown. Pa. And Wheeling, W.Va. market areas. Projected sales for 2003 are estimated to be $61 million.