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Modern and contemporary design brand Industry West recently launched an inspiring retail showroom in New York City. The brick-and-mortar store is chock-full of a discerning mix of home and hospitality furnishings and accessories carefully curated by founders Jordan and Anne England from international designers and manufacturers. Located at 14 Crosby Street, the store is also home to a cafe and the couple’s spin-off accessories brand, Favor.
Downtown: Tell us about Industry West! When and what led you to found your brand?
Anne England: Industry West is retailer of residential and hospitality furnishings and accessories curated from designers and manufacturers from across the globe. We founded the brand in 2009 when searching for furniture for our own home and were frustrated by what we felt were big gaps in the market. Now we think Industry West fills those gaps!
Downtown: When did you launch your New York City showroom and what can visitors expect to see?
AE: The NYC Showroom opened March 2019, just a few months ago. Visitors can expect to see a selection of our product line—we like to show off the new stuff. The front of the showroom includes a space for new rotating collections throughout the year. One of the highlights of the space is our chair wall, filled floor to ceiling with various chairs from our collections. In the back of the showroom is the Favor bar so our hospitality clients can see our furniture in a restaurant setting. Also, all of the dishes, cups, napkins, trays, and accessories are part of our recently launched spin-off accessories brand, Favor. We will continue to rotate product every few months so that visitors have the opportunity to see in person what’s new. We understand that it is important to some of our customers to have the opportunity to see and touch our products before purchasing them.
Downtown: Tell us about Favor. What kind of accessories will the brand be known for?
AE: We already had a selection of accessories on the Industry West website, but we were going to trade shows and finding pieces that we liked that didn’t seem to fit with the Industry West brand. There were many designers that I’ve met with at trade shows or have been referred to by others who we have worked with, but there wasn’t a place for them, so we decided to make space just for accessories. Favor offers home decor, kitchenware, clothing, jewelry, children’s toys, and bath products.
Downtown: Who designed your showroom and what made you include a cafe?
AE: Dani Arps designed the showroom. We were so excited to have her design the space as we have worked with her in the past for other projects. We decided to have a cafe because we work often with hospitality spaces, restaurants, cafes and hotels. We also wanted to provide a space for visitors to sit down and look through the collections as well as have a space for clients to sit, drink a cup of coffee.
Downtown: Tell us about the rotating space you conceived for new collections! What is on display now?
AE: When you walk into the showroom there is a space at the front that we decided would be used to showcase our new collections and would rotate every few months. We actually just rotated the space this past week! We brought in new items from several suppliers that focus on an earthy vibe for the summer months. We also worked with John Midi and they created an amazing display of hanging kokedama plants. It’s amazing.
Downtown: What brought a Jacksonville-based brand to NYC?
AE: So much of our business happens in NYC that we felt it was time to open a showroom up here. We wanted to have a space where we could not only meet with clients but also show them pieces from our collections in person before they purchase them. It also provides clients with the opportunity to see how pieces can be paired together.
Downtown: Where do you source your furnishings and accessories?
AE: We currently source from designers and manufacturers from 20 countries on four continents. We go to the factories ourselves to see the product and figure out what pieces that we want to include in our collections. We got to a lot of trade shows and meet designers there as well.
Downtown: What are some of the international designers and manufacturers you are most excited to carry?
AE: We are really excited about the product we have coming out of Thailand and Vietnam designed by studios out of Copenhagen and Bangkok.
Downtown: We love the idea of having a retail shop that also incorporates furnishings for contract and commercial spaces. Why did you think it was important to include them?
AE: Over the years we have realized the person who specs IW furniture for projects is also wanting the same items for his/her home. We learned that providing quality furniture that we can customize in certain ways makes IW appealing for the restaurant owner and the homeowner.
Downtown: What are some of your favorite designs in the showroom now?
AE: The Cane Collection is my favorite! I am very excited that we are expanding the collection as it has been so popular.
Downtown: What has been the biggest difference in opening up a New York showroom from your Jacksonville-based brand?
AE: While we don’t consider ourselves a Jacksonville-based brand, opening up a showroom in New York City is different because we get to participate in a design community. We also have better access to our New York Clients.
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