Furniture retailer Arhaus chose the Nordstrom wing at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville for its third Florida store and expects to hire 10-12 people for its opening in the fall of 2014.
Cleveland, Ohio-based Arhaus, pronounced "our house," will open in the Town Center's Phase III, anchored by upscale retailer Nordstrom, also expected to open in fall 2014.
Arhaus spokeswoman Kimberly Clark said by email Friday the company has 46 stores and Jacksonville's will be the 51st by the time it opens. The first two Florida stores are in Naples and Palm Beach Gardens.
Site work has begun and the City has been reviewing construction plans for Nordstrom and the two multitenant buildings that connect the Nordstrom wing in the southwest portion of the center.
St. Johns Town Center has said it intends to add 34,000 square feet of new retailers in the wing in addition to the two-story, 124,000-square-foot Nordstrom.
Clark said the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Jacksonville store will open in the space between Nordstrom and the existing Louis Vuitton.
Arhaus is designed within the two-story, 19,400-square-foot building called "Building N" on plans. Clark said there will be another small tenant next to Arhaus but doesn't know who it might be.
The other building, "Building M," is 16,600 square feet.
The two buildings total 36,000 square feet, slightly more than originally stated. No other retailers have been announced for them.
Clark said that each Arhaus store offers the retailer's "one-of-a-kind designs and timeless classics including: sofas, sectionals and chairs wrapped in organic, leather and custom order fabrics; dining tables and chairs for indoors and out; antiques and replicas; bedroom furniture and private label bedding collections; library and office appropriate pieces; wall units and an assortment of media centers for high-tech gadgets; and a large assortment of seasonal accessories."
She said the interior architectural details feature skylights, a river-rock fireplace, hand-painted murals, and a combination of distressed oak and stone flooring, as well as signature display elements such as the Arhaus "chair wall" showcasing dining seats and an "accessory column" stacked with seasonal soft goods and glasswork.
Arhaus was started in 1986 in Cleveland by father and son Jack and John Reed and is named after Denmark's port city, Aarhus (pronounced "ar hoos"), she said.
The company is privately owned and operated. John Reed is chairman and CEO.
Arhaus continues to work directly with artisans worldwide, while more than 60 percent of the assortment is made in the United States, according to Reed.
"We buy from markets in Paris and even from village shops in Indonesia," says Chief Creative Officer Gary Babcock in the information sent by Clark.
"Whenever possible, we rely on renewable and recycled materials to make anything from a single bench, to a glass vase," he said.
According to the company, almost half of its collections are made of recycled material.
Its website is arhaus.com.
St. Johns Town Center representatives have said the new wing will encompass more than 158,000 square feet of retail space and will include an estimated eight stores, which will be announced later this year.
Center General Manager Angela Crowder said in June that national and local retailers have committed to the new phase and many will be new to the market.
She had no additional comment Friday.
St. Johns Town Center will share Phase III updates through StJohnsTownCenter.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @StJohnsTownCtr.
St. Johns Town Center is a 1.2 million-square-foot retail and restaurant center at Butler Boulevard and the Interstate 295 East Beltway. It has 11 anchor stores and more than 175 specialty stores and restaurants. Its developers are Simon Property Group and Ben Carter Properties.
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