Furniture for the Home, which already operates a successful online retail business and store in Sedgley, is investing nearly £50,000 into creating a second showroom in the Black Country – on Kingswinford high street, in the old Amblecote Furnishers building.
Owner Simon Foster believes consumers have started to return to the high street and are keen to ‘buy local’ in the pursuit for a more personalised service.
A full refurb of the Market Street building is under way. Once complete, it will house a large showroom offering an extensive range of modern home and garden furniture and accessories over two floors.
Three jobs will be created to start with, with more positions likely to become available once the store opens in March.
“The high street is back when it comes to purchasing furniture, with consumers keen to touch, feel and see how their purchases could look in a home environment,” says Simon.
“We’ve seen this in the massive rise in footfall we have enjoyed in our first store in Sedgley, and this got us thinking about a second store that could service a different part of the Black Country.
“When the Amblecote Furnishers site came available, we knew it was perfect for what we were looking to achieve, from a location, parking, and size point of view. It is also an iconic local name in retail, and everyone knows where it is – it’s also great to bring the building back to life after standing empty for two years.”
On the ground floor will be ‘made-to-order’ UK upholstery, living and dining room furniture, sofas, occasional chairs and seasonal products, including outdoor rattan garden furniture in spring/summer and fireplaces in autumn and winter.
The first floor will be a dedicated beds, mattress, and bedroom furniture showroom, with all furniture set to be displayed among a range of home accessories such as rugs, mirrors, wall art and lamps.
Simon continues: “We were already seeing a lot of customers from Kingswinford and Stourbridge visiting our Sedgley store, so we knew there was local demand for our products if we could find the right property.
“Having two shops will allow us to offer and display a much wider selection of ranges and will help us extend current working relationships with independent manufacturers keen for us to stock their unique collections.
“Visitors can expect a warm welcome off local people, who really understand the importance of customer service and creating displays that spark the imagination.”
