NEW YORK — Maiden Home, which offers North Carolina-made custom furniture through its online business, has opened its first retail location in the heart of the Meatpacking District here.
The showroom at 34 Little West 12th St. covers 4,100 square feet, with the retail floor divided into four galleries, one of which is a design center.
“The four galleries invite clients to explore the layers of our brand aesthetic and client experience,” said Nidhi Kapur, founder of Maiden Home. “Each gallery has a unique visual identity, expressed in the choice of finishes, materials and architecture.”
For example, while Gallery Two serves as the design center, Gallery Four “delivers an intimate ‘den-like’ experience with an expansive seating configuration,” said Kapur.
After five-plus years of selling online, Kapur said the brand was “ready to expand into an omnichannel presence. Physical retail is a powerful tool that will catapult us toward our vision for Maiden Home as a category-defining, luxury home furnishings brand. We believe in its ability to deliver exponential growth, deepen community building and strengthen our brand positioning among the right consumer audiences.”
Because each of Maiden Home’s pieces are made to customers’ specifications, the showroom won’t hold any inventory of pre-made pieces. Rather, said Kapur, at the flagship clients can explore the brand’s assortment and customization options and then order via the website for home delivery.
Currently Maiden Home offers furnishings in the living room, dining room and bedroom categories, along with some home office and accent pieces. But Kapur said she sees opportunities to extend Maiden Home into more categories within the home. “Category expansion will be a powerful tool to grow the business as well as deepen relationships with our clients,” she said.
Maiden Home is also in the process of looking at additional retail sites, with several new stores in the company’s biggest markets being announced in the next 12 to 18 months, she said.
And despite the softening of furniture retailing overall, Kapur said Maiden Home remains focused on building its business.
“The underlying strength in our business has enabled us to invest heavily when most others are pulling back: in new product launches, brand-building initiatives and now our omnichannel presence,” said Kapur. “Where others see a gloomy retail outlook, we see an opportunity to sprint ahead and gain market share.”