Home Accents Today announces 2016 Retail Stars honorees

Susan Dickenson //Editor in Chief//May 18, 2016

Home Accents Today is proud to present its 12th annual 50 Retail Stars list.

The Retail Stars list, sponsored by Americasmart Atlanta, recognizes 50 independent brick-and-mortar retailers of home accents, including furniture stores and interior design boutiques, that are creative in their merchandising, contributing to their communities and distinguishing themselves from the competition.

Eighteen of the stores on this year’s list have been operating successfully for more than 20 years, and six are at least 70 years old. One store on the list, Montgomery’s, got its start in the 19th century. Profiled in our March issue, Montgomery’s opened as a “furniture and funeral” store in 1888, before its home state of South Dakota was officially a state.

The other golden oldies on this year’s list include Von Hemert Interiors, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach and Torrance, Calif., founded in 1920; Del-Teet Furniture, Bellevue, Wash., founded in 1929; American Home, six stores in New Mexico, founded in 1936; Higgins & Spencer, St. Michaels, Md., founded in 1942; and Louis Shanks of Texas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, founded in 1945.

Twenty-five U.S. states are represented on this year’s list, with New York contributing seven stores, and California, Florida and South Carolina each contributing four.

Sixteen stores are ringing up annual sales in excess of $3 million and six of those are at $10 million plus, a revenue profile that’s very similar – almost identical, in fact – to last year’s list.

Half of this year’s Stars sell online, with most reporting that ecommerce contributed about 10% to their 2015 sales. Colorado-based HW Home, which rings up $400 a square foot in its four brick-and-mortar stores, said online sales contribute about one percentage point to the bottom line, while the online revenue of Dallas-based Wisteria, which plans to add more physical stores over the next few years, is currently about 70% of annual sales. Fraiche

Everybody is on social media, with the number of retailers using Facebook (39) and Instagram (37) up slightly over last year’s group. The number of Retail Stars that use Pinterest decreased by 10, and those who say they regularly use Twitter, Houzz and YouTube dropped to about half of last year’s count.

A third of this year’s stores operate in multiple locations. Mecox tops that category with seven stores in New York, Los Angeles, Florida and Texas, followed by American Home, which operates six stores in New Mexico.

The design strength of this year’s group appears to jibe with our recent findings and reports on the growing popularity of interior design. Forty-six of the 50 stores on our list offer design services, and 43 say they offer a to-the-trade program for interior designers.

Also notable about this year’s Stars is that almost half were nominated by some of their biggest fans – their home décor vendors. Our 2016 honorees have made quite an impression on the supply side, prompting their reps and industry friends to call or email us about what it is that makes these stores such stand-outs: “Best merchandised lighting store I have ever seen … awesome store and team … always on trend … one of the most talented designers that I know … began as a floral company but has become an excellent home and gift store … great eye … on everyone’s ‘best of’ list for good reason … really nice and family-owned … one of the better privately owned showrooms in the design district … a really awesome and collected look … best store in the country, hands down.”

“Every year, this magazine has the privilege of identifying some of the best independent home décor and furnishings stores in the country,” said Jenny Heinzen York, editor in chief of Home Accents Today. “The 2016 Retail Stars represent some of the best to date. These are stores that are taking on the changing world of retail with marketing, merchandising, customer service and innovation that keep them relevant and growing. Independent retail in the age of e-commerce and chain stores is nothing short of a labor of love – and these stores represent the best there is in their field. We congratulate each one, and encourage everyone to support their own local businesses.”

We’ll be sharing more of our Stars’ stats, strategies and stellar retail ideas in upcoming issues. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the 2016 Retail Stars’ websites, shop their stores, and engage with them on social media.

Our 50 Retail Stars for 2016, in alphabetical order, are:

A&G Merch, Brooklyn, N.Y.

HW Home