DeZign of the Times

Head honcho

Linda Cezar, division manager

A brief history

DeZign Home, which metamorphosed from Z-Home this summer, is a division of C.S. Wo & Sons, a third-generation family-owned business, the largest furniture retailer in Hawaii and #86 on Furniture/Today's list of Top 100 retailers. Six years ago DeZign Home, then known as Z-Interiors, opened as a gallery within another of the retailer's stores, Furnitureland, and grew to include four locations. Last summer the first free-standing DeZign Home opened in Honolulu and it's been a huge success.

"We spun DeZign Home out into its own location because there really wasn't an affordable contemporary store in the area," Linda said. "The free-standing location is in a very energetic and entertainment-driven area with a Sports Authority, Wild Birds Unlimited, Starbucks, Java Juice and Dave and Buster's. Retail really is all about location, location, location."

As a gallery, DeZign Home didn't have its own identity or separate exterior, but as its own store, the company is able to capitalize and build on the brand itself.

And the location couldn't be better. Not only is DeZign Home in a heavily trafficked area, the housing market in Hawaii is booming. The median price for a single-family home is $400,000, and reports in local business magazines say thousands of new homes, high-rise projects and almost $2 billion worth of military housing construction are planned for the state in the next decade. All of these will need furniture and accessories, and regardless of the style and price point, the Wo family has something to fit the bill.

Linda started seven years ago with C.S. Wo as a district manager for Furnitureland, though she grew up in retail, doing everything from store management to buying. She now is the division manager for DeZign Home, and with that comes the responsibility of strategic development for the division, as well as all the buying (furniture and home accents), creating the store culture and employee development.

"I worked in the retail apparel business for a long time before I realized the home furnishings industry was where my interests lay," Linda said.

Though it's a contemporary store, Linda says the clientele ranges in age from 20 to 65, catering not to an age group but to a mindset. Enthusiastic employees, bright colors, thumping music as well as a mini-home theater section, light shows dancing on the walls and Innovation videos playing on TVs ensure DeZign Home customers are serviced by someone like themselves in an environment they connect with.

"It's a fun store," Linda said. "Not many people can carry and sell a lime green sofa, but I can."

The store carries something for every interpretation of contemporary, whether it's the classic design-oriented look, Asian-inspired or funky modern. Though furniture is the main staple, home accents account for about 10% to 12% of sales — certainly impressive for a furniture store when the industry average isn't quite so high, but also impressive for a contemporary store, which typically is less accessorized.

"In the Asian area we have more accessories than we do in the other two areas, but I'd still like to grow the home accents side of our business," Linda said. "Accessories are easy sells, especially with all the foot traffic we have. Customers walk in, pick them up and take them with them."

Another element that sets DeZign Home apart is the variety of product and price points. While some retailers are just getting into importing, C.S. Wo and its divisions have been importing product for years. Buying trips to Asia are the norm for Linda, and she says this allows them to bring in product not previously available in Hawaii at affordable prices.

"I see a lot of creativity in new product coming from the Philippines and Thailand," she said. "Importing enables us to bring exciting options into our stores and offer them at price points our customers appreciate. I think importing is one of the aspects that really sets us apart from other stores in our area. It's all about affordability and availability of exciting product."

DeZign Home carries a mixture of leather, microfiber and other upholstery options, as well as case goods. As Linda said, lime green is a good seller, but the hot colors in upholstery now are red, orange and pink. Accessories include everything from picture frames, permanent botanicals, candleholders and ceramic pieces to lacquerware in fun and funky colors, art glass, rugs, wall decor and lamps. Decorative accessories, rugs and lamps are the top three selling home accent categories, but dramatic spun bamboo ginger jars and other pieces from Laos also are doing well.

Linda has a special passion for top of bed as she used to be a linen buyer, and while DeZign Home carries soft goods, she'd like to expand this category in the future.

Though the location provides a lot of walk-in customers, Linda also uses monthly circulars as well as some TV, radio and direct mail pieces and, as with most C.S. Wo companies, events play a big part in her marketing efforts. The energetic feeling of the store is carried through in the circulars that are awash with vibrant boxes of color, giving them a decidedly contemporary look.

"We like thinking out of the box," Linda said. "And with this store especially, we have to tap into a certain energy and attitude. Everything from the food, theme and product has to apply to our customer."

Displays change daily, and color is perhaps the main ingredient in much of the merchandising. Linda doesn't run sales Monday through Friday, but on weekends there are special buys used to draw traffic and discontinued merchandise may be marked down.

"I'd have to say opening a free-standing store was our best idea," Linda said. "We've tapped into a thriving location and are more accessible to our customer as a free-standing store than we were as a gallery."

Though there are no specific plans to open other free-standing DeZign Home stores and the other locations will remain open, Linda does say, "we're always looking for other opportunities."

Linda is excited about the stores and the product she puts in them. Inspiring that same excitement and passion among employees is one of her challenges.

"It's also challenging to get vendors to ship product when they say they will, that's tough," she said. "And in retail, for us, another challenge is always wanting more, because whatever we do is never enough. We always want to do more and be better."

Color is the anchor in this display, which features a Sofa's International sectional, Foreign Accents rug and a table imported from China. Customization is key for many pieces, like the sectional, which can be ordered in myriad fabrics and configurations.

The accent-laden vignette features vendors including Kaarup and Four Hands.

Just inside the front entrance is where contemporary meets Asian at the corner of form and function.

Glassware of every color is a big seller at DeZign Home, and here a display makes a dramatic statement.

The bistro area serves complimentary cappuccino and fresh-baked cookies amid displays of Vietnamese lacquerware.

Rather than having rows and rows of futons, the Innovations gallery creatively showcases styles and colors, complete with streaming videos.

The art wall is set off by a vibrant blue and boasts everything from wall decor and tabletop to barstools. Housed on the store's second floor, this display is in the ultra contemporary section.