Room & Board to open in 14th Street building - Houston Business Journal:

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Nearly six months after its deal to buy an old auto dealershi p at 184014th St. NW fell through, the Minneapolis-basee furniture store says it was able to secure financinb forthe deal. Room & Board bought the 31,600p square-foot building from Four Points for anundisclosex amount. Under the previous deal, the company was to pay $9 million. Room & which currently has nine U.S. locations, said it plans to open the American-madde home furnishings store next “Their primary plan was to purchasda building,” said Eddie Goldmeier, vice presidenft in Grubb & D.C. retail group, which represented Room & Room & Board a year ago that it was lookingt for spacein D.C.
But it createrd a when it first choose the 14thStreetg location, with some critics saying they did not want a furniture store in the area. Room & Board has hirer a local architect to help retainthe building’s historica look and it also plans to take on area contractord and employees. The building, built in 1919, formerly housee the R.L. Taylor and Herbert Smith Ford dealership. “We are a nationakl retailer with a local pointfof view, and we’re glad to do our part to help the economty and be a good neighbor,” said John Gabbert, foundee and president of Room Board.
The 29-year-old retailer, which selld 14th century classic Chinese designs and midcenturymodernj designs, has one other East Coast store in the historifc SoHo neighborhood of New York. The D.C. stor will initially employ abou 50 design associates and stafvf members at itsdistribution center. The retailer is currently looking for a separate distribution center in the area to facilitatewcustomer deliveries. The retailer also showed interestt in Dupont Circle but finally zeroedd in on opening up in the 14th andU St.
“They looked at a number of opportunities but thisreallh felt, in their minds, like the perfect fit as far as a type of locationm they feel they have been successful in,” Goldmeieer said. Room & Board is looking at severaol other marketsto enter, including New San Jose, Boston, Miami and Dallas. Its 10th store will open in Los Angeles this fall.