With the dawn of March, St. Louis has two new stores from national chains: Williams-Sonoma Home and The Container Store
By Christy Marshall
When entrepreneur Chuck Williams couldn’t find the kitchenware he needed, he founded Williams-Sonoma. Then he sold the company to Howard Lester—a man with aspirations of his own. Lester purchased Pottery Barn, added spinoffs Pottery Barn Kids and Teens, started West Elm and then Williams-Sonoma Home. At 10 a.m. on March 1, the company execs will fling open the doors of the brand-new St. Louis store, located on an out-parcel of Plaza Frontenac.
“I think it has always been a dream of the chairman of the company, Howard Lester,” says Dave DeMattei, group president of Williams-Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma Home and West Elm, when asked about the genus of the brand. “He loves premium brands. When the heritage of the brand is hospitality, bringing people in your home and cooking for them—the whole way Chuck started Williams-Sonoma—it fits to extend that idea to the rest of the house.”
St. Louis is W-S Home’s eighth store, and it comes before Chicago or Manhattan. The 8,500 square feet of selling space features European- and American-inspired handcrafted furniture and accessories. “This is our first brand really devoted to the premium brand of home furnishings,” says company spokesman Abigail Jacobs. Or to be succinct: cha-ching; a Pottery Barn for grown-ups with paychecks of plenty.
The store has its pluses. Part of the W-S Home package is designer assistance—as in, designers will come to your home gratis and help you figure out what you need and where. Also, you can order custom upholstery—with a guaranteed delivery in no more than 45 days. Designers get a 10-percent discount on their purchases.
The space is designed just like a home, albeit a very nice home. The entrance is a foyer, the space is divvied up into rooms—and everything, everywhere is naturally for sale. This store will be the first in the country to carry the company’s Everyday Luxury bedding that includes 230-count sheet sets retailing for less than $200.
Capitalizing on the idea that Williams-Sonoma has gone from kitchen to hearth, the only question remaining is where do they go next? W-S Fabulous Florals?
Williams-Sonoma Home: Plaza Frontenac out-parcel, 1745 South Lindbergh, 314-983-9467, williams-sonoma.com; Hours: Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun noon–5 p.m.
