by HOUSTON — Worth and Co. here is pushing the boundaries of the industry to new heights with a groundbreaking furniture-plus-lifestyle selling concept. For those who don’t know, Worth & Co. is a new generation of furniture store, as it is not just a furniture store at all.
Jeff Edgeworth, the proprietor and visionary, has created what I believe to be a one-of-kind concept. Jeff conceptualized and launched a new full-lifestyle selling program that is a breath of fresh air from the traditional furniture store model.
From luxury clothing to upper-end lighting, candles, jewelry, exclusive paints and 40,000 square feet of the most curated bespoke furniture brands one could source, all under one roof.
His latest event was a Billy Reid (a famous fashion designer with 11 branded U.S. stores) party hosted on Nov. 7. Worth showcases a wide selection of his clothing on-site. The latter portion of the night was another event honoring local interior design awards, sponsored by Modern Luxury Houston and Modern Luxury Interiors Houston.
It was interesting to hear Edgeworth define his inspiration during an interview at the event. He summarized what he believes is that a lot of furniture stores are all the same, with little vibrancy, limited variation and museum- or mausoleum-type vibes. His goal was to go away from the norm and do it his way.
The place was packed and all the attendees, especially first-time visitors, seemed more than impressed with what they discovered in-store. Hosting the local design awards, following the Q&A with Reed, ensured the design community stayed longer at the event so they could celebrate their peers later in the evening. I noticed many of them organically “shopping the place” throughout the whole night.
More retailers should take this as inspiration for how to effectively think outside the box and create fun and exciting ways to market and cross-pollinate their success. In this instance, the goal to do something new and different, I think, has been achieved.
Home News Now contributor Nick Byers has been an industry sales representative for more than 15 years.
