by The family-owned retailer transformed the department store into a 1,000-room furniture destination
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Furniture Mall, a Midwest-based, family-owned retailer whose roots date back to a 1933 roadside hospitality stop founded by Ben and Eva Winter, has expanded its footprint with the opening of its fourth location here.
The Winters first welcomed travelers at their roadside stop, Howdy Come In, which served homemade frozen custard along with friendly hospitality. The friendly customer service experience continues today with the Winter family, who opened the first Furniture Mall in 2013, founded with a mission to “make shopping for furniture fun again.”
The newest location is an adaptive reuse of a former Macy’s department store at Metro North Crossing in Kansas City, part of a 1-million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment by real estate development group IAS Partners Ltd.
The new 150,000-square-foot showroom features 1,000 rooms of vignettes showcasing the retailer’s assortments of living room, bedroom and dining furniture, along with rugs, lighting, accessories and decor. Among the wood furniture brands it sells are Ashley, Bernhardt, Flexsteel, Winners Only, Sunny Designs, Mavin, A-America and Parker House.
The store also includes Mattress Headquarters, the retailer’s store-within-a-store concept, where shoppers can browse more than 100 mattress models. Key mattress brands include Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Stearns & Foster, Sealy, Mattress 1st and Bedgear.
As a nod to its origins, the location features Howdy Café, which serves homemade frozen custard, chocolate chip cookies from a Winter family recipe, and other refreshments with a mix of complimentary and for-sale items. To help shoppers navigate the expansive space, Furniture Mall offers tricycles for easier travel throughout the store.
According to The Kansas City Star, the store officially opened last week. Its grand-opening celebration is scheduled for July 8 at 8550 N. Jefferson St. in Kansas City, Missouri. As part of the festivities, there will be special sales, games, food and refreshments throughout the day. The store’s hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Furniture Mall also operates stores in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Olathe and Topeka, Kansas.
