Storehouse Marriage To Home Elements Combines Best Of Both Stores

Furniture World Magazine

He likes to retreat to his favorite chair. She likes the simple clean lines of a dark handsome armoire. He wants good lighting for reading his favorite sports magazine; she wants to create the perfect setting for entertaining friends. With the consolidation of Storehouse Inc. and Home Elements Inc., they can buy it all from the same neighborhood home furnishings store. Welcome the new Storehouse - still savvy and upscale but now offering a more diverse selection of furnishings for every room of the house. To enhance its trademark of clean and simple lines, the specialty retailer has added an expanded line of furniture, accessories, wall decor, lighting and rugs. "The same familiar faces will welcome you at the same neighborhood store locations," says Caroline Hipple, Storehouse president. "No stores will close." The union of the two companies represents the best both have to offer, and results in an eclectic mix of globally inspired furniture and accessories, and greatly expanded upholstered furniture choices. The fabric selection now includes more than 750 special order fabrics with 500 fabrics all at one price. The former Home Elements stores, now under the new Storehouse banner, gain entertainment centers, wall units, dining and bedroom groups. Together they produce an expanded collection of accessories carefully selected from around the world, with fabulous rugs to coordinate with every upholstery vignette. "We offer a lot of soul, and with 18 stores in the Baltimore-Washington area, a lot of convenience," says Dixon Bartlett, Storehouse senior vice president of merchandising and marketing. "The new presentation is warm and inviting, intimate really, with welcoming touches such as candy, coffee and bottled water." As very similar retail stores, the duplication of marketing efforts confused the customer. Thus the new Storehouse blends its urban point of view with the warm and casual viewpoint of Home Elements. All former purchases, warranties and guarantees from the former Storehouse and Home Elements stores will be honored. "We've kept the 30-year-old Storehouse name and retired the four-year-old Home Elements name," Hipple says. "The 19 Home Elements stores join 44 Storehouse stores in 23 markets, for a stronger organization with a total of 63 stores." "Since Sept. 11, many people are staying closer to home. We find ourselves frequenting those places, like Storehouse, where we are known, welcomed and understood," Hippie says. "Better yet, the Storehouse environments create a sense of adventure, without leaving the neighborhood." The new Storehouse Inc. offers a sophisticated and eclectic blend of unique furnishings for every room of the house. The specialty home furnishings retailer is known for its distinctive collection of upholstery, dining, bedroom, and home office furniture with styles ranging from contemporary to classic. With an extensive instock program, 500 upholstery fabrics all available at one price and multiple special order options, the new Storehouse is positioned to respond quickly to its customers needs. As a full-line home furnishings retailer, products include a wide range of furniture, home accents, accessories, wall decor, lighting and rugs for the living room, den, dining room, bedroom and home office. Through its home furnishings catalog, web site and 63 stores located in upscale village centers throughout the Southeast, the Mid Atlantic and Texas, Storehouse is available nationwide. A subsidiary of Rowe Furniture Corp., Storehouse is based in Atlanta with distribution centers in Atlanta, Houston and Laurel, Md.