LILLIAN AUGUST ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF NYC RETAIL LOCATION, DETAILS FUTURE EXPANSION PLANS
Lillian August may be shuttering its New York City retail location but plans on returning to the Big Apple with a trade-only showroom. Above, the rug department in the Manhattan showroom, which is selling its entire stock. |
NORWALK, Conn.-- Dan Weiss, CEO, and John Weiss, COO, brothers and co-owners of the well-established Norwalk-based Lillian August Furnishings + Design have announced that they will be closing their New York City retail store at the end of this year. The company is currently selling off the entire stock of the Manhattan showroom, located at 12 W. 20th St.
The decision to close the New York City location comes at a time when Lillian August has decided instead to focus on expanding its retail presence in Fairfield County and building up its thriving interior design and to the trade business. To that end, the company recently hired two professionals to help move the company ahead. It also stated that it plans to open a trade-only showroom in Manhattan sometime in the near future.
"We value the New York City community and will continue to serve them. The proximity of our Connecticut locations to Manhattan is close and we encourage our dedicated New York City clients to visit us at our 100,000 square foot Norwalk Design Center, our outlet in South Norwalk and our Lillian August Atelier in Greenwich," said Dan Weiss.
Lillian August offers designers a broad, highly curated selection of hand-made rugs and broadloom designs, both in-stock or available for special order and customization.
Interior design services will prove a major focus at Lillian August in 2017, the company stated. With more than 30 in-house interior designers on staff and several levels of design services offered to customers, the studio has carved a reputation for itself among clients for its vast offering of furniture, fabric and rug resources. In-house workrooms and delivery teams round out the services offered clients.
What's more, the company is placing more emphasis on its interior design team. It has not only been highlighting the talents of its senior interior design team and showcasing their design projects, but promoting the individual designers
behind the work as well. Furthermore, Lillian August as part of its plan to grow its full-service interior design program, recently hired interior designer Shannon Manchester to round out its team.
Lillian August has a team of more than 30 in-house interior designers on staff and plans to grow that segment of its business in 2017.
In addition, the family-run business appointed Jody Peters, most recently director of global merchandising, new business development at Vineyard Vines, to expand and grow the the Lillian August brand's reach across its omni-channel platforms.
Added John Weiss, "Connecticut is where the first Lillian August storefront opened almost 30 years ago and it continues to be our home base.We are excited to focus more on this area that is integral to our DNA and concentrate on expanding the incredible retail opportunities in our backyard."