The Great Indoors rises up in Texas

Home Channel News, Oct 23, 2000 by Elizabeth Consavage

Sears' home furnishing format opened third unit in July with slight variations, new stock

FARMERS BRANCH, TEXAS -- Sears rolled out an updated version of its Great Indoors format here in July, bringing a design similar to its Denver and Scottsdale, Ariz., outlets, but with some more sophisticated (and many more cowboy) items.

Longhorns, cowboy boots and horseshoes are just part of the subtle touches in the new store, which had its grand opening on Aug. 3.

Great Indoors is Sears' upscale retail format designed to compete in the $160 billion home furnishings industry. The Dallas-area store, with more than 60,000 skus, is set up like the other two units around the four "great" rooms of the house -- kitchens, baths, bedrooms and living rooms -- as well as entertainment, outdoor living and surfaces.

"The basic premise of the Great Indoors [layout] is great sight lines. Any customer can see what he or she needs right off," said store general manager Chris Wozniak about the open, well-lit 144,000-square-foot layout that features vignettes and "rooms." "We try to present it the way the customer would see it in their homes."

The store is trends oriented and puts a heavy emphasis on home decor. The main aisle leading off the front entrance is lined with accessories in Asian, safari and French country themes. Various sections of the store have room displays that coordinate furniture, flooring, fixtures, wall and window coverings, lighting and accessories. Vignettes group items by their style and compatibility rather than by price or manufacturer.

"We pull it all together. It's logical. It works well together," Wozniak said. "We find that customers stock up their carts in one spot. We're trying to show a look rather than just one vendor or item."

But there are some differences among the three stores. The Farmers Branch store has some new merchandise and 70 percent of its lighting assortment differs from the two other sites. The Dallas-area store, for example, is carrying large chandeliers and light fixtures, which are more suitable for the larger homes one finds in Dallas, Wozniak said.

The lowdown on layout

The new store carries a variety of exclusive bedding patterns, some of which are displayed in the 14 bedroom ensembles set up within a circular pavilion. In the rear of the store is a display of in-stock window treatments -- draperies, curtains and window atelier -- with 5,200 fabrics on display and about 60,000 available through special order. The store carries the largest selection of Hunter Douglas products in the United States, along with paint, faux finishing products and moldings.

The carpet and rugs section has price points for every customer, with a selection of 1,500 area rugs retailing from $199 to $12,000. More floor covering is placed at the rear of the store, where walls and vignettes filled with tile sit atop floor displays of the tile products. Wozniak said that by installing different styles of tile on the store's floor, customers get a better idea of the look and feel of the product.

"Customers struggle all the time when looking at just one piece of tile," he said. "Why not give them some options to look at?"

The new store has a large selection of appliances, plumbing fixtures, hardware, faucets and entire kitchens and baths. It was the first store in the United States to sell the new Satin Pearl colored fixtures from Barand and the store has its own fabrication shop for solid surface and Corian countertops.

The appliance area in the new store has a section dedicated to cooking, with walls showcasing dishwashers, refrigerators, kitchen islands, washers and dryers and a selection of basic ranges to high-end built-in wall ovens.

The hardware section is typical of the Great Indoors in other markets, but includes a bit of the whimsical by selling cowboy hats, cacti and horse-themed merchandise.

Service is served up

A Starbucks cafe inside the front door opens two hours before the store so homeowners can meet with designers and builders or shoppers can fuel up before their day. The nearby checkout area (including gift wrap, registry and customer service) blends in with the store's decor to make the space feel less like a warehouse. The ceiling is high with exposed rafters. Where there are walls in the store, most are low to maintain the open feeling.

"We really tried to put a lot of thought into this so the customer can see it," Wozniak said. "You don't get a sense of the real size of the building."

There is no overlap between The Great Indoors and Sears, but both stores carry some similar brands. Of the store's 350 employees, 10 are design consultants and more will be added. The store accepts catalog orders and expects to have e-commerce applications available later this year.

The new store has full design and installation services but also offers a classroom and library where how-to clinics are held to show customers various projects like faux painting. "We're going to show people how to do all of this and if they don't want to do it, we'll do it for them," Wozniak said. "We do everything from sell[ing] a new faucet to a whole remodel," he added. "With our designers, people close their eyes and then open their eyes and it's done! We do it all."