LOS ANGELES, Calif. — LOS ANGELES, Calif. — One store at a time, French Heritage has brought its branded collection of French reproduction furniture and accent pieces to the American retail landscape.
In October 2000, the Los Angeles-based company opened its first in-store French Heritage Shop at Design and Interiors in Los Altos, Calif. Just three years later, that number has grown to 18, including four free-standing locations and one store for the design trade in Minneapolis.
That's just the beginnings of what French Heritage has in store. By the end of 2005, the company plans to have as many as 50 retail locations.
Other than an in-store gallery planned for Montreal this spring, officials did not reveal specific dealers or cities where they plan to locate. A lot depends on finding the right dealer who is committed to the line and who has a passion for French home furnishings.
"I can't say we have done it in a very systematic way where we have studies of all these geographic centers," said President Jacques Wayser. "The key is to find the right people that have the dedication and the people who can afford to implement it because it is expensive at the beginning."
Wayser and his wife, Henessy, own 50% of the company, and Baker Furniture parent Kohler Co. owns the other half.
French Heritage's free-standing stores are about 2,000 square feet, the largest being the 2,500-square-foot Morningside store that opened in Miami on Dec. 11. The in-store shops are about 1,600 to 1,700 square feet, the largest being about 1,800 and the smallest at 1,200 square feet.
But size is not quite as important as the emotional reaction the stores aim to evoke. With a mixture of French music and décor, the stores capture what someone might experience shopping for furniture in France.
From the outside, they resemble a French storefront, complete with red awnings, paned windows and blue facades. Beamed ceilings, draperies, decorative wall treatments and chandeliers give the interior the look and feel of an antique shop.
Appealing to the emotions
"You walk into an environment that is emotional and that emanates an atmosphere of quality in terms of what is presented and what colors are used," said Henessy Wayser, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Like an antique store, it's a lot of pieces put together with a lot of soul."
Wayser had that vision in mind when she created the store concept, which was unveiled at the French Heritage showroom in High Point in April 2000.
"Our clients absolutely loved it," she said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm. We had a great reaction right from the beginning."
That reaction inspired the company to duplicate the concept in Los Altos and beyond. The main goal was to help promote the upscale French Heritage brand of reproduction furniture in a focused setting.
The line includes anything from bedroom and dining room sets to smaller signature pieces influenced by items found in French antique shops. Many pieces are hand-carved by French craftsmen, while others are produced in a plant the company shares with Baker in Indonesia and some smaller locations in China.
French Heritage also does custom finishing at a plant in Spruce Pine, N.C.
Price points vary. A coffee table retails anywhere from $599 to $3,000. An end table ranges from $450 to $1,900, while armoires retail anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000.
The styles and price points attract many different customers. What the consumers have in common is their appreciation for the look and feel of French furniture.
"It's a store that has a discerning, quality-oriented clientele," Henessy Wayser said. "It's a cultural issue where people understand what the quality is."
A feast of visual contrasts
Not all stores are laid out exactly alike. However, selling floors are set up to be a feast of visual contrasts that lure customers throughout the store. For instance, case goods with oak finishes stand alongside pieces with cherry finishes. Accent items with crystal are shown alongside wrought iron pieces.
Those contrasts, Wayser said, help heighten the customer's interest and curiosity. They also help them find something that's unique and personal.
"That's what makes it interesting," she said. "Each thing is different from the other — it's not from the same mold. That's why our shops are so successful. That's why they have such an impact."
"What the actual end user gets is a fabulous emotional response," added shop coordinator Laura Whipp. "This is all very personal. People react to the whole ambiance and feel of the French shop."
Bograd's has a 1,600-square-foot in-store gallery in its Riverdale, N.J., location. The line fits in nicely with its other high-end merchandise, which includes Stickley, Henredon, E.J. Victor and Baker, said store owner Joe Bograd.
"People love the antique shop look," he said.
The variety of accessories in the French Heritage shop also has inspired Bograd's to shop for more accents to sprinkle throughout its 30,000-square-foot store.
"We discovered the impact of accessories to the point that we go to Paris every January to buy additional accessories over and above what they (French Heritage) offer," Bograd said. "Accessories today have become a very major business in our store."
The first freestanding French Heritage store opened at Lloyd's of Sommerville, N.J., in January 2001. As such, it is marketed separately from Lloyd's and has its own building and address.
In that format, it has done very well, said Lloyd's President Jeff Silverman, noting that the store's sales volume has grown by about 25% a year. In 2003, he said, it was expected to experience similar sales growth thanks to a dedicated customer base.
"When a customer comes in, they are a very targeted customer and have an immediate positive response and reaction," he said.
Such news obviously pleases French Heritage officials. It also encourages them to continue with their growth plans.
The furniture, they note, can sell anywhere alone. They believe it's just the setting and ambiance that help it sell even better.
