by New High Point showroom is its latest project, which follows the move of its administrative offices and warehouse operations to Trinity, North Carolina, last year
TRINITY, N.C. — Luxury furniture manufacturer Theodore Alexander is continuing to expand its footprint in the marketplace this year with new product, a new showroom in downtown High Point and a branded retail storefront, which is being opened and operated by a third party.
These are a few of the key initiatives that are taking place on the heels of the company’s move this past year to its new headquarters in Trinity, North Carolina, a major initiative just by itself. Located in a former United Furniture plant that the company purchased in 2023, this is the new home for its administrative and executive staff and also serves as its core distribution facility, consolidating four warehouse operations into a single location.
By early next year, the facility also will house its manufacturing operations for domestic upholstery, shifting that production from Thomasville to Trinity.
But its first big initiative this year is the move of its showroom from a 50,000-square foot building at 229 Russell Ave. that also formerly served as its administrative and executive offices to a 20,000-square-foot, multistory building at 425 N. Hamilton St. This building formerly housed luxury furniture brand Jeffco.
While smaller than its current location, the new showroom will showcase a more focused mix of product across its case goods and upholstery collections, while also showing various pieces mixed into the presentation including new introductions and a large amount of product introduced at the previous High Point Market.
In April, the company will show a new Alexa Hampton collection, plus new product in its Spencer London and Spencer St. James collectons, in addition to Althorpe and Judith Lieber, to name a few.
Of the new space, company President Ed Teplitz said, “It’s a better location and it is easier for designers and retailers to get to. Before, we were on our own, there was no co-tenancy. Customers are shopping that area, so we believe we will get increased traffic and increased awareness of our brand.”
“We are still going to represent what Theodore Alexander is and what we offer to our customers, just in a different setting,” he added. “There will be a smaller representation of each collection, but enough for the customer to understand what we offer to them.”
There also will be a wide mix of upholstery shown throughout — including upholstery from its designer brands, along with its domestic upholstery and Vietnam-sourced Seated program — plus other product mixed within the floor plan.
“Where in the old showroom we had areas, or rooms designated for one collection, we are now going to mix and match in a way that our retailers and designers do on their floors or with their projects,” Teplitz added.
The new retail venture is a 40,000-square foot store that will be operated by a third party under the Theodore Alexander name. Expected to open by late summer, it is on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, New York, just across from the Miracle Mile shopping district and Americana Manhasset, featuring a number of luxury brands, including Versace, Cartier, Fendi, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Tiffancy & Co.
Teplitz said that while Theodore Alexander has had galleries inside retail stores, this will be the first retail location with the brand name on the storefront.
“It is a great location with the traffic and the co-tenancy surrounding it,” he said, adding that it will be a good way to highlight its broad stylistic offerings to the market while also offering a mix of its good, better, best product mix with well-known names such as Alexa Hampton, Althorpe, Spencer and Judith Lieber, thus adding another layer of licensed excitement to the floor. “We have all that helping drive traffic, and I think this individual sees a real opportunity to take advantage of what Theodore Alexander offers and to really create a great retail environment.”
Teplitz believes the store will do a lot of designer business, similar to the type of business it does in its 5,000-square-foot showroom at 200 Lexington Ave. in New York.
“There are many designers based in Long Island, and this is a real opportunity for them to be able to embrace the brand,” he said. “They shop there in 5,000 square feet and now they can shop in 40,000 square feet and can touch and feel and see everything we offer.”
Of the retail store, he said this was not something that Theodore Alexander sought to do on its own, but rather through an individual (he declined to identify) that approached the company with the idea of opening a branded store.
“It was an opportunity that came to us, and it in no way means that we don’t want to continue to work with retailers or designers,” he said. “I look at it as a great opportunity one, to grow business and two, to grow our brand. It is going to raise awareness of Theodore Alexander in the New York marketplace.”
Teplitz added that many retailers have asked him about the company’s plans to open dedicated stores, given his background in retail with Ethan Allen, Thomasville and Natuzzi.
“For those companies it made sense, but that is not the direction we are going,” he said. “We just want to make certain that this individual is successful and is profitable and that we meet his expectations. And we will spend considerable time helping get his store open for him, helping train the staff and making certain they have all the tools they need to be successful.”
Finally, of the move to Trinity, Teplitz noted that the company has already accomplished some key goals, including the consolidation of its warehouse operations. By placing those operations in one versus four facilities previously, it can ship product more quickly and efficiently, not having to hold up orders because one piece is being shipped from another location or still waiting to arrive in one of those locations. Located just a short distance from Interstates 85 and 74, the new operation also has good access to major thoroughfares.
“We are 100% in the one warehouse,” Teplitz said, adding, “The offices are also here now, which allows much better interaction between customer service and shipping. … We were working out of four different warehouses in multiple cities across North Carolina, so it was very difficult for us to ship quickly. If a customer placed an order and if one piece was in our main Greensboro warehouse and the other pieces were in Charlotte, or Hickory or Thomasville, we would have to consolidate.”
He said next on the agenda regarding Trinity is to shift manufacturing there from Thomasville.
“The next piece of the puzzle is to get the factory here,” he said. “We still have some work to be done to get the space ready.”
But as the lease runs through the spring of 2026 in Thomasville, there is plenty of time for the move while also getting these other initiatives — including the new High Point showroom and retail storefront — completed.
“As much as we would like to get the factory here just for efficiency, we also know we are not going to be able to sublet that space,” he said. “So we are not in a big hurry.”
