by Lifestyle retail brand plans to open outlet in California and pop-up store in Texas this year
IRVING, Texas — In the past year that it has owned lifestyle retail brand Z Gallerie, Karat Home has undertaken a challenging yet ultimately successful transition that has included an update of the retail brand’s internal systems, its website and its product line, all of which are aimed at providing a seamless luxury home furnishings buying experience for consumers.
The company also has plans to open an outlet store next to its Gardena, California, warehouse and also is working on plans to open its first pop-up brick-and-mortar store in Texas sometime around September.
The operational processes included the implementation of a new ERP system and an ongoing upgrade of the company website where customers can view and purchase thousands of products across different categories.
Improvements to the site include easy-to-shop features that highlight items frequently bought together, an add-to-cart function from various category pages and a shipping guideline that spells out shipping guidelines, costs and discounts, plus a free shipping threshold for certain items.
Other features to be added in the near future include a wedding registry, a membership loyalty program, an item wish list and a buy now/pay later option for those wanting to finance their purchases.
While the revamped website has been up for the past five to six months, it remains a work in progress, with the goal of continuous improvement for the customer, company owner Scarlett Fan told Home News Now.
That process, along with maintaining its customer service levels, not to mention adding and developing new products, has been a balancing act.
“During the transition, you need to keep stable business, sales and procedures with customers, but on the other hand, you also need to review all the systems,” she noted. “Now that we have overcome this transition, I have a lot of confidence in 2025. We can fulfill every customer’s proper design (expectations) with this luxury brand.”
Working with many different suppliers in several countries including Vietnam and India (just two of its 12 source countries) the company also has developed at least 250 new SKUs that launched Feb. 8. Sometime during the second or third quarter, the company plans to launch a line of new textiles and pillows developed as part of an expanded collaboration with existing design partner Nikki Chu.
“We also have collaborations we are working on with other influencers like Nikki Chu that we are trying to bring to fruition,” said David Pinedo, marketing manager at Z Gallerie, noting that this aligns with its vision of being a resource for luxury and premium home furnishings. “We want our brand to have that messaging and with that we want to have more exclusive collections and more limited-edition collection drops. We are planning on introducing those SKUs and products here this year and next year.”
But with the continued focus on luxury and premium goods, the company also wants to expand its physical presence. The planned 8,000-10,000-square-foot outlet in Gardena is a first step to be followed by its first store in Texas, along with another three or four locations in the next two to three years.
“We got inquiries from customers asking when we can have a brick-and-mortar store,” Fan said. “With a luxury home furnishings brand, it is really important for the customer to be able to touch the product so they can feel the material and have the full experience.”
She said while the plan has been to reopen physical stores (albeit far fewer than the 21 stores Z Gallerie had at the time of its October 2023 bankruptcy), the company wanted to first have a solid foundation as the new owners and stewards of the retail brand.
She attributed the success in helping build that foundation to the many employees that are now part of the team, including both new and former Z Gallerie workers.
“It’s really great we united these two teams together to be able to implement new systems, 500 new SKUs and a new website,” she said. “It’s a huge task, but the teamwork is really the biggest and proudest part in my heart. I definitely appreciate all of my team.”
