Ballard Designs, a catalog and online retailer of furniture and home decor, will open a store in the Houston market in River Oaks Shopping Center.
The Atlanta-based omnichannel retailer will take over the 10,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Gap Stores in February, the company announced.
Ballard Designs joins other design and furniture stores in Weingarten Realty Investors’ renovated River Oaks center as it continues its brick-and-mortar expansion. The Houston store will be the chain’s 16th since first opening stores 2007.
“We’ve been serving Houston designers and homeowners for 35 years through our catalog, so we already have a large following here,” Dominic Milanese, senior director of retail for Ballard Designs, said in an announcement.
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Ballard is targeting a soft opening in early 2021. Social distancing protocols will be in place.
“Shopping is one of the Top 10 things to do in Houston,” Milanese said. “And at Ballard, we have such a robust assortment, we expect people to love our upholstery and larger furniture pieces, but also to stop in for smaller accessories as well.”
The location on West Gray Street near Shepherd Drive is close to the affluent River Oaks and Montrose neighborhoods, a couple of miles west of downtown. Weingarten Realty is developing the 30-story Driscoll at River Oaks apartment tower in the center, with opening planned in mid 2021.
Ballard Designs also has stores in Fort Worth and Dallas. The company is part of Qurate Retail Group, which also includes QVC, HSN, Zulily, Frontgate, Garnett Hill, Grandin Road and Ryllace.
