Johansen continued, "With this location at the heart of the upper Midwest's largest traffic intersection, we felt we needed to take special precautions and not overrun the store with customers. It is definitely not our normal behavior on how we would treat an opening of this magnitude. We have implemented all the proper safety precautions to make sure we are ready for the customer traffic we still are going to see as many of our customers have been waiting for the new HOM to open along with our first DOCK86 location in the South metro.
"Gabberts has been closed for almost two months now, and finally we are-opening for their customers who have been not only waiting to be able to start working on delayed projects but also excited to see the new showroom that we have been talking about for over two years in the making," he said.
DOCK86 offers the finest in off priced furniture including TREND86 which is a curated gallery of the freshest looks at the everyday low DOCK86 price. The first location was introduced in 2010. This will be its third metro location. The DOCK86 portion of the store also features HOM's Bargain Shop and Gabberts Odds & Ends clearance department.
Gabberts features two levels with a grand staircase and atrium featuring six large chandeliers with a glass elevator back drop, all seen upon arrival through the Gabberts main entrance. Features include high ceilings with 12 foot high vignette walls, a design studio, the freshest visual displays, all with the latest in Gabberts proprietary vision of today's furniture trends.
"Other store highlights include a Stickley gallery, the only branded gallery in the store," said Johnsen. "The Design Studio is a behind the scene glass work space, which allows all customers the ability to see our design team at work. Top quality ASID designers have always been a trademark of Gabberts." When exiting the showroom, guests will see a mural of all the company's retail store fronts showing the history and evolution of Gabberts since 1946.
HOM Furniture showcases all of its specialty brands such as Uptown, HOM's take on today's urban living, Amish Craftsman Gallery, Fine Furniture Gallery, The Market -- a home décor shop featuring art, lamps and accents. The showroom has expanded feature areas in the Flooring and Rug department, with thousands of rugs and flooring options on display. HOM Sleep Express features more name brands with over 75 mattresses on display, and Seasonal Concepts, a specialty Patio retailer HOM purchased and incorporated into their showrooms in 2009 with a large variety of outdoor living furnishings no different from HOM's other specialty galleries. "With all of the product options in this location along with the design expertise that Gabberts delivers, we feel that no one rivals our ability to deliver more choices quicker or with more professional services than we can and meet the needs of customers in the Midwest and also nationally," Johansen remarked.
"With our purchasing power as one of the largest USA home furnishings retailers, it allows us the ability to price our products more competitively versus online companies. We have all of the services including, No Contact Free Shipping options for all of our customers in our region. Plus, you can sit on it or try it before you buy which is still an important option for most customers when shopping our category," said Johansen.