Star Furniture hosts sneak peek
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, April 28, 2003
Sugar Land, Texas — Star Furniture last week gave industry leaders a pre-grand opening peek at its 10th store here and a chance to mingle with legendary investor Warren Buffett.
The 100,000-square-foot store in this Houston suburb showcases several new display techniques for the retailer.
It also is among the first to premier Bernhardt's Martha Stewart Signature Collection, The Jaclyn Smith Home collection by Largo and the Humphrey Bogart licensed collection by Thomas-ville. And it is one of the first with a new Natuzzi leather gallery.
Star, part of Omaha, Neb.-based Berkshire Hathaway's furniture division, is "one of my absolute favorite companies," said Berkshire Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Warren Buffett in a press release.
He said the company is "among the finest corporate citizens" and continues "to place extraordinary emphasis on connecting on so many different levels with their customers."
The two-level store, Star's seventh in metro Houston, has more open sight lines than its other units and does more to guide and inform shoppers through the use of signage, escalators, lifestyle-oriented displays and a logical traffic pattern, said Star CEO Melvyn Wolff.
"We have tried to create a shopping environment that is different from any store in town," he said.
"We have worked hard to listen to our customers and to create an incredibly pleasant and unique shopping experience that speaks to their taste level with high-style furniture without ever losing focus on affordability."
The store features Thomas-ville and Kincaid galleries as well as a Star Signature gallery that groups its high-end offerings from such resources as Bernhardt, Stanley and American Drew.
Other key suppliers include Klaussner, LeatherTrend, Broyhill, Natuzzi, Lane and Serta.
