Not content with just a home furnishings catalog and Web site, Williams-Sonoma Home is expanding with a chain of retail stores, offering consumers a chance to view their furnishings, linens and accessories up close and personal.
The Williams-Sonoma Home stores are laid out like actual homes, with living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, so you can view the merchandise in a domestic setting. The merchandise is middle to upper middle in price, reflecting efforts to distinguish the brand from sister divisions Pottery Barn (mid-price)and West Elm (lower-mid price). Company spokesperson Meredith Mazur says the new brand is designed to appeal to well-traveled consumers who might be in the process of decorating their second home.
Expect to find a handsome selection of handcrafted furniture custom upholstered in fine fabrics and designed to be delivered in just 45 days. Williams-Sonoma Home also offers antique-inspired rugs, elegant tables and lighting and fine linens for the bedroom and bath.
Five stores are already open in West Hollywood, Palo Alto, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Portland, OR, with a store in Florida and on the East Coast scheduled for completion by the end of 2006. The company aims for continued expansion after that.
If you can't make it to the stores, you can order a catalog or peruse the merchandise online by visiting www.wshome.com. At this time, you can't purchase merchandise online; that feature is expected to be up and running in August 2006.
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The Williams-Sonoma Home stores are laid out like actual homes, with living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, so you can view the merchandise in a domestic setting. The merchandise is middle to upper middle in price, reflecting efforts to distinguish the brand from sister divisions Pottery Barn (mid-price)and West Elm (lower-mid price). Company spokesperson Meredith Mazur says the new brand is designed to appeal to well-traveled consumers who might be in the process of decorating their second home.
Expect to find a handsome selection of handcrafted furniture custom upholstered in fine fabrics and designed to be delivered in just 45 days. Williams-Sonoma Home also offers antique-inspired rugs, elegant tables and lighting and fine linens for the bedroom and bath.
Five stores are already open in West Hollywood, Palo Alto, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Portland, OR, with a store in Florida and on the East Coast scheduled for completion by the end of 2006. The company aims for continued expansion after that.
If you can't make it to the stores, you can order a catalog or peruse the merchandise online by visiting www.wshome.com. At this time, you can't purchase merchandise online; that feature is expected to be up and running in August 2006.
