Furniture store owner Nicholas Johnson and his wife love going to the beach in Delaware.
And they love going to Charleston, S.C.
So Johnson is looking East and South to expand his furniture store
SuCasa.
Johnson will open an
800-square-foot pop-up store on Route 1 in Dewey Beach, Delaware this summer,
spending $50,000 on the venture. If the store does well he will
open a permanent location selling SuCasa's trademark classic
contemporary furniture.
"I've dreamed of opening at the beach," Johnson says. He hopes that SuCasa's style will appeal to folks who
aren't just seeking a beach-style look for their home. He can't
divulge the exact location yet because the lease hasn't been signed.
The
shop comes on the heels of his opening a 4,000-square-foot store at the
Shops in Kenilworth. Johnson spent about $100,000 to open the Towson
store in October. It replaced eco-friendly furniture store Bluehouse.
SuCasa's 4,800-square-foot
flagship shop is located on Thames Street in Fells Point. Johnson owns
another SuCasa in Ellicott City and two other furniture stores in Fells
Point, Pad and Calligaris.
He is currently revamping the
inventory at Pad and Calligaris so it has a broader appeal.
The stores opened during the height of the condo market boom and sell
modern furniture that is priced higher than the wares at SuCasa. But
since the condo market collapsed, Johnson has had to rethink the concept behind these stores and will offer more neutral colors.
So
what about Charleston? If he can make the Dewey Beach store work, he
plans to open a store down the road in Darius Rucker's hometown now
that Southwest Airlines offers direct flights.
"I dream of splitting my time between Baltimore and Charleston," he says.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Nicholas Johnson, SuCasa