Global luxury furniture brand Theodore Alexander will host a grand opening celebration next week for its first Long Island store that opened last month.
The new Theodore Alexander store, which will host a grand opening event at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, was built in a 41,393-square-foot space above the Whole Foods Market in Kimco Realty’s Munsey Park Plaza shopping center at 2103 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset. The space was formerly occupied by a Bed, Bath & Beyond store which closed in 2021.
The grand opening will feature Bobby Berk, the original design expert on Netflix’s hit series “Queer Eye.” Berk will host a meet-and-greet and sign copies of his book “Right at Home,” which will be given to the first 200 guests. The event will also feature live music, champagne, light bites, as well as contests, giveaways and showroom tours, according to a company statement.
Known as the Theodore Alexander Manhasset Design Center, which opened on Sept. 11, it is operated by an international third-party investor, according to the furniture manufacturer.
“For nearly three decades, Theodore Alexander has served the designer trade community by creating exceptionally crafted pieces and building a legacy of trust, quality, and lasting creative design,” Theodore Alexander President Ed Teplitz said in the statement. “We now extend that same elevated experience to Manhasset, one of the nation’s most sophisticated luxury markets, which is made possible by the commitment of a private investor. We invite the public into our world of design to experience our craftsmanship firsthand, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with the people who will live with and love our furniture every day.”
Founded in 1996 by Paul Maitland Smith, a pioneer of high-end furniture production in Asia, Theodore Alexander has been selling its luxury home furnishings through other retailers and dealers throughout the world. The new Manhasset store is part of the company’s effort to open Theodore Alexander stores in areas with attractive demographics. It is located just across the street from Americana Manhasset and around the corner from the showroom of luxury furniture brand Arhaus.
Interior designers will have access to trade pricing, the full fabric library and digital product catalog along with designs showcased on the floor, offering an opportunity to have giving their clients a chance to check out the furnishings before purchasing, according to the statement.
The Theodore Alexander Manhasset store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Jordan Domroe of Parallel Realty represented the tenant, while Gene Spiegelman, Jeffrey Rosbash and Morgan Singer of RIPCO Realty represented the landlord, Kimco Realty, in the lease transaction.
The three-level, 19,400-square-foot store at 2128 Northern Blvd. officially opens on Saturday, Sept. 27. The space was formerly occupied by Brooks Brothers.
The new Manhasset store will be the luxury furnishings chain’s fourth on Long Island, following two in East Hampton and an RH Outlet store in Commack.
RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, celebrated the opening of the Manhasset store with an event hosted by RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman that included celebrity guests like Christie Brinkley Sailor Brinkley-Cook, Patrick McEnroe, Melissa Errico, Nicky Hilton Rothschild and other notables from design, fashion and entertainment, according to a company statement.
Publicly traded RH, headquartered in Corte Madera, Calif., reported 2024 net revenue of $3.18 billion, up 5 percent from the previous year, according to its financial report. The company, which is adding several new galleries this year, projects a 2025 revenue increase of 10 to 13 percent, despite headwinds from a weak housing market and uncertainty over tariffs and inflation, according to Friedman’s message to shareholders.
The RH Manhasset gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The Warehouse District in West Palm Beach is getting a reboot that backers say will bring in home furnishings, interior design, wellness and fitness retailers to the district, which consists of warehouses initially built between 1925 and 1974. It will also see the shuttering of the food hall known as Grandview Public Market, with aspirations to bring in other dining options.
The district sits along Elizabeth and Clare avenues, about a mile south of CityPlace.
The rehabbing of the Warehouse District is a venture by real estate investor Alex Griswold, who bought the properties in 2024. Griswold recently brought in veteran retail leasing executive Francis X. Scire Jr., the leasing director for West Palm Beach’s Nora District, to fill the project’s spaces.
West Palm’s Grandview food hall closed, no details on replacement yet
At the end of July, the space’s Miami-based operator, City Food Hall, shut down Grandview Public Market.
In a July 17 interview, Griswold and Scire said they aren’t yet certain what will become of the food hall space, but they said they are aware it is the district’s anchor. Griswold said he hopes the space can be filled with a food and beverage operator “for the locals and by the locals.”
Isla & Co, a sit-down restaurant adjacent to the food hall, will remain open.
Griswold said he has big plans for the Warehouse District, which sits in a pocket of the city next to longtime residential enclaves such as Grandview Heights and Flamingo Park.
“Our goal is to serve the community,” he said.
Aerial view of the Warehouse District in West Palm Beach.
To that end, creating a roster of interesting tenants is a major goal, especially in the home furnishings market. It’s also a solution for retailers that want to be close to the city’s major residential communities but can’t find space that’s large enough, or affordable enough along South Dixie Highway.
“We can offer larger spaces to these designers and furniture businesses while still being adjacent to the Dixie Highway corridor,” Griswold said.
New West Palm Beach businesses include home furnishings retailer, Show Pony Palm Beach
Among the tenants that just opened in the district is Show Pony Palm Beach, specializing in 20th century home furnishings, including art and furniture.
Michael Walker, its owner and a veteran of New York’s fashion industry, moved to West Palm Beach nearly four years ago, then opened a furniture gallery on South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.
Walker said he quickly found success with people who appreciated his eye for finding unusual items for the home. After a lease on his existing warehouse space ran out, Walker decided to take up 13,000 square feet in two spaces in the Warehouse District.
Furnishings offered by Show Pony Palm Beach, a home furnishings store that just leased space in the Warehouse District in West Palm Beach.
With the surge in migration to West Palm Beach from New York and other major U.S. cities, Walker is optimistic the Warehouse District will thrive as a destination for home furnishings. Even as Walker was moving items into the spaces this month, he said he was surprised to see walk-up inquiries.
“This area is going to explode,” Walker said. “The local community is so good at decorating their homes. They have sophisticated taste, and designers come here from all over.”
Blake Anding, owner of Classic Sofa, moved into the district last year after searching for space in Southeast Florida from Miami to Vero Beach.
Classic Sofa is a 43-year-old company that makes custom upholstered furniture from a New York-based manufacturing facility. The setup allows customers to obtain their pieces in weeks, rather than months, as is the case with furniture stores that use foreign manufacturing sites, Anding said.
Anding said he settled on the Warehouse District because it had the feel of a place that felt artsy enough to be interesting but not so pricey it was closed off to new players.
“It’s a breath of fresh air,” Anding said.
Anding said he’s particularly impressed by Griswold’s decision to bring in creative tenants to give life to the district, including complementary neighbors such as Show Pony. For his part, Anding said he’s eager to be part of the Warehouse District’s new shine: “I just want to help in any way I can.”
Warehouse District gave fresh life to old buildings
The Warehouse District first burst onto the scene in 2018 with the opening of the Grandview Food Market, the county’s first food hall.
The food hall was formed out of one of six rundown properties purchased and revamped by investor Hunter Beebe of Palm Beach.
In addition to creating the food hall, Beebe also brought hip tenants, such as Steam Horse Brewing and Steel Tie Spirits Company, to nearby properties.
Mural by artist Renda Writer at The Warehouse District at 1500 Elizabeth Avenue in West Palm Beach, Florida on July 15, 2024.
In late 2018, just months after opening the Grandview Public Market, Beebe sold the properties for $18 million to Charlotte-based Asana Partners. The real estate company held the portfolio for a few years and then sold it to a Griswold entity for $19.5 million in July 2024.
During the past year, Griswold said he’s managed to bring the project’s occupancy to about 90% from 50%. This includes leasing the entire 12,000 square foot boutique office space to tenants.
Prior to Griswold’s ownership of the buildings, the warehouse district and its occupants experienced mixed success.
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The district attracted a rental apartment project now known as The Point at District Flats.
But the food hall struggled amid the COVID pandemic. Steam Horse Brewing at 1500 Elizabeth Ave. also took a hit from the pandemic and never really recovered. The brewery closed its doors in September.
By teaming with Scire, Griswold hopes to tap into the thriving market for design and furnishings, boutique gyms, wellness concepts, and selected food operators.
Wellness businesses also finding a home in Warehouse District
A new tenant that just opened in the Warehouse District is Bindu Yoga & Wellness at 1530 Elizabeth Ave.
Formerly an axe-throwing venue, the space “has a different energy now,” co-owner Angela Reinhardt quipped.
Reinhardt said she and partners Annie Cardelus and Bella Jones were attracted to the district “because it seems to have a growing wellness community that we want to be a part of.”
A prior location on Dixie Highway was half the size, Reinhardt said. But the new district space, which opened two weeks ago, allows for group classes, private yoga sessions, massage and soon a red light therapy room.
Reinhardt said the studio’s expanded services will meet demand from customers “who have a better understanding of how we need to focus on our health if we want to stay comfortable in our later years.”
Indeed, health and wellness are key components of the Warehouse District, said Scire, who has experience bringing these retailers to central Palm Beach County.
Scire successfully leased the newly-created Nora District, a dining, entertainment and shopping district set to open in September in a section just north of downtown West Palm Beach. Like the Warehouse District, Nora also was fashioned out of old industrial buildings, along with some new construction.
Prior to the Nora District, Scire previously leased the Royal Poinciana Plaza, filling the 1950s-era Palm Beach shopping center with new tenants. The property, now known as The Royal, today features a top collection of restaurants, designer retailers and wellness facilities.
Scire said he’s staying on with the Nora team as a consultant for a year to help guide the project’s planned second phase, set to open in 2028.
At the same time, Scire said he’s eager to create a new gathering spot for West Palm Beach residents and visitors in the Warehouse District, which is close to his home in the nearby Grandview Heights Historic District.
This plan includes possibly making use of the district’s main street, Elizabeth Avenue, into a spot for events, especially for families in the evening hours.
Scire described the Warehouse District as “the best kept secret” in the city, and he and Griswold hope to unveil more details in the fall, including more new tenants.
“We want to reintroduce the district to West Palm Beach as a place to serve the neighbors around us,” Scire said.
HOUSTON – Brittany Franklin is a busy mom. Her daughter Stevie just turned one year old, she runs local non-profit Sky High for Kids, and although she and her husband had discussed moving to another house once their baby was born, they decided they wanted to make their current home work better for them.
First, they tackled their living room — the main gathering space for their family and friends.
“We for so long had two big chairs and a small couch, and it just made the room very crowded,” said Franklin, who worked with the design team at Living Designs Furniture to help her vision come to life.
Now, Franklin has an oversized sofa with two moveable ottomans so she has enough seating that a large sectional would have provided, but the flexibility to adjust the furniture based on her needs. The result? A more open, usable space.
“Now we have so much space and we can gather,” said Franklin.
The fabric she chose is a beautiful, stain-resistant Crypton that will stay looking new for years to come.
In addition to upgrading her living area, Franklin designed furniture for her bedroom, guest room, dining room, kitchen nook, and sitting area — giving her entire house a more beautiful, livable feeling. Watch the full video to see the result.
Designer and entrepreneur April Cornell received a lifetime achievement honor for her contribution to the gift and home industry
Press Release –
updated: Jul 17, 2018
ATLANTA, July 17, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– April Cornell, fashion and home designer of colorful and artistic apparel and home furnishings, was honored with an ICON Honors Lifetime Achievement award. ICON Honors are awarded to individuals and companies of distinction who have impacted the gift and home industry. Icon Honors is the signature event of The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®. The gift and home industry’s most celebrated recognition was presented by Arianna Huffington, the keynote speaker at the event.
April Cornell is known for her signature prints and whimsical, joyful and romantic style and has been a designer presence in the retail world since the 1970s. Boasting hundreds of vintage-inspired prints designed from her own watercolors and works of art, April Cornell was recognized for her contribution as a creative entrepreneur with a knack for niche markets and a special attention to the retail experience. She has always had a global outlook with deep roots in India, where she owns her own factory, and retail and wholesale markets in both USA and Canada.
April, like a poet, sensitively capture’s nature’s many moods and splendid colors with strokes of a paintbrush. April’s travels throughout the world, particularly India where she does charitable work, has also given her craft unique flavors. Throughout the years, I have admired her timeless ever-evolving, unformulaic brand signature, which is why I licensed her work years ago at Silvestri and continue to collaborate with her now.
Linda Simpson, noted industry licensing expert & owner of Imagination Network
She cites her love of nature, love of color, affinity for beauty and desire to make women’s lives more joyful as a driving force for her design. She often speaks of customers as kindred spirits with creative hearts. She is known for her philosophy of “finding beauty in the everyday.”
Linda Simpson, owner of Imagination Network and noted industry licensing expert, describes her reaction to the award:
“April, like a poet, sensitively capture’s nature’s many moods and splendid colors with strokes of a paintbrush. April’s travels throughout the world, particularly India where she does charitable work, has also given her craft unique flavors. Throughout the years, I have admired her timeless ever-evolving, unformulaic brand signature, which is why I licensed her work years ago at Silvestri and continue to collaborate with her now. This award is well-deserved, recognizing April’s innate ability to translate her love of nature into a recognizable feminine lifestyle brand with an ever-growing populace of customers worldwide.“
Media Contact:
Kelly Cornell kcornell@aprilcornell.net (917) 687-4647
