Danish furniture store coming to the metro
I suppose this will do until we get an IKEA.
Danish furniture store planned
July 31, 2007
The Journal Record
EDMOND – BoConcept, a high-end Danish furniture maker and retailer, is coming to Oklahoma.Ted Elston is the local franchisee bringing the company’s first Oklahoma store to Edmond’s Spring Creek Village. The store is set to open this fall.
BoConcept has more than 170 branded stores and 250 of its BoConcept Studios in 32 countries. The company opened its first store in Paris in 1993 and reports it is opening two to three stores each month around the world.Elston said that after working many years in corporate marketing and public relations, he wanted to open a store that reflected his style and interests.“My passion has always been in traveling, fashion, design and contemporary and modern furnishings,” he said. “Up until now, it’s really just been something on the side.”
In March, Elston said he was leafing through a copy of Dwell Magazine, a publication focused on architecture and modern décor, when he saw an ad for BoConcept franchise opportunities. Surprisingly, he said that when he made contact with the company, they were familiar with Oklahoma having sold some of their products in other area retailers over the years, but never in a dedicated store in the state.“We weren’t on their radar for development of a brand store because they were looking at the obvious cities like Dallas and L.A.,” Elston said.Currently, the closest franchises are open or opening soon in Dallas and Houston.
By May, Elston had his franchise contract and began looking for an appropriate location. After looking around the metro area he settled on Spring Creek Village because he said the area met the demographic for an upscale furniture store. Recently, Elson signed a lease in about 7,000 square feet of space at Spring Creek Village.But unlike traditional furniture stores, customers at BoConcept visit a showroom and select the exact color, style and fabric of the furniture they want with the option of selecting custom-made items for style and size requirements.“The thing that sets us totally apart is that 100 percent of what our customers get is customized for them,” Elston said. “It’s not a cash-and-carry.”Most of the furniture in the United States comes via Denmark from the company’s New Jersey-based U.S. headquarters.
Custom-built items are shipped direct from Denmark. Elston said delivery of all items will come to the store where they will be assembled and delivered. Delivery time varies from about a week to 12 weeks for custom items.Customers can also view how their furniture will look using a software program designed for the store.Nevertheless, Elston said a major challenge will be changing the public’s perception of modern Danish furniture. “I think people think modern and immediately think it means cold, sparse and uncomfortable,” he said. “I’m excited to be able to show people we can have modern and comfortable at the same time.”
Ted Elston at the front doors Monday of the business he is preparing to open this fall called BoConcept, which will feature a large showroom of available Danish furniture. Elston said he plans to open another branch in Tulsa in 2009. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)
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