Weisshouse is honored for retailing excellence by Home Accents Today magazine

Home Accents Today 2009 Retail Stars: The Best and the Brightest

By Susan Dickenson and Dana French

During the course of reviewing nominations for this year’s Retail Stars list, it was suggested by more than one reader that perhaps this year’s list should be renamed to “Retail Survivors.” That’s probably due to the fact that when we announced our call for nominations, America’s retailers were already experiencing the screeching halt of customer traffic brought on by the financial fall-out of the first quarter of 2009, coming right on the heels of the ugly last quarter of 2008.

Nonetheless, by mid-April we found ourselves looking at another great stack of nomination forms. And from those we’ve chosen these: 50 retailers of home accents who demonstrate a knack for merchandising, are vital members of their communities, and/or have managed to distinguish themselves from their competition in order to be successful.

In fact, despite the “Survivor” suggestion, one thing that does distinguish the 2009 list from those in years past is its impressive staying power. Ten of the stores on this year’s list are at least 50 years old and almost half of the list has been in business for at least a decade. One store, Snow’s Home & Garden of Orleans, Mass., might just be one of our oldest retail stars to date. Known as “Cape Cod’s Ultimate Shopping Destination,” Snow’s has been owned by the same family since its founding in 1887.
Our 2009 Retail Stars also own a lot more selling space (about 2.6 million square feet) and employ about three times more people (3,400) than last year’s list.

Thirteen of this year’s retail stars sell in at least 9,000 square feet of space. The largest retailer on our list this year is Art Van Furniture, which groups accessories and rugs in its furniture vignettes at each of its 30 Michigan stores, representing a collective 1.5 million square feet.
But we’ve also seen some pretty impressive things happening in much smaller venues. Four of the retailers operate in less than 1,000 square feet of space, the smallest being Total Bliss, a 300-sq.-ft. shop within a retail/design center in Huntersville, N.C.

As a group, our Stars have also demonstrated that a Web site is no longer a novelty. Almost every shop is online — some selling, some even blogging about their businesses. Many of the stores are differentiating themselves through store-branded products, private labels and lots of customization.

A summary of the selection methodology follows this article. As this is not a ranking, the stores are presented in alphabetical order along with a tiny summary paragraph that doesn’t do them justice. We encourage you to visit their Web sites and, if possible, their stores for a closer look. And look for more information about many of these stores in future editions of Home Accents Today and at HomeAccentsToday.com.


WEISSHOUSE PITTSBURGH
1 STORE; ESTIMATED 2008 TOTAL SALES: $5 million - $9.9 million
Home furnishings specialist, in business since 1943. Its 14,000-sq.-ft. store offers high-end lines. Has 13 employees, including five salespeople. Home accents include accent furniture, lamps, lighting, wall decor, decorative pillows, throws, area rugs, tabletop and other decorative accessories. Key vendors include B&B Italia, Ligne Roset, Calvin Klein, Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams, Oly Studio, Central Station, Four Hands and ClubCu accent furniture; Bjorling & Grant, Ligne Roset and Patrick Charles for decorative accessories; Visual Comfort, Artemide, Bobo Intriguing Objects, Verner Panton and Asia Minor for lamps; Roberta Schilling, Phillip Jefferies, Karl Mullen and Jack Weiss paintings for wall decor. Furniture and accent furniture accounted for 45% of 2008 total sales; flooring and area rugs, 40%; wallpaper, window treatments, fabric and other accessories, 15%. Special events include sample sales in January and June and warehouse sales. Describes its merchandising scheme as a modern eclectic mix, with Asian, African and American antiques and some traditional touches. Bills itself as a one-stop design center and shopping destination for home furnishings. weisshouse.com

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