Greenhouse Mall Rebrands
AUSTIN, TEXAS
So long, Greenhouse Mall. Hello, Outside in Style.
Casual furniture retailer Karen Galindo has renamed, redesigned and repositioned her three stores to better reflect the times and her line-up of high-end brands.
Galindo's two stores in Austin as well as her San Antonio store will open today as Outside in Style, a name that she said "is very descriptive and which will be relevant for a while."
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Karen Galindo.
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Malls were trendy shopping destinations when Greenhouse Mall, started by Galindo's parents as a greenhouse and patio shop, opened in 1976. The name remained constant as the company's focus moved more and more toward outdoor furnishings.
"We've wanted to change our name for years," Galindo said.
Architectural changes, new landscaping, a total rethinking of how furniture is displayed and merchandised, and a focus on trend-setting style accompanies the rebranding, she said.
Galindo said specialty retailers "should be more conscious that we are on the cutting-edge of fashion. It's time we figure out how to be trendsetters in our industry. When you don't create and innovate, the result is pretty boring."
Galindo noted that her shops, like many, too often were "a sea of furniture, but that's not how consumers want to shop anymore. They don't like all that crowded inventory."
Galindo brought in Maxine Lauer of Michigan-based Sphere Trending to assist in developing the company's new direction. Marketing and advertising strategies also will reflect the changes.
Completing the makeover will take several more weeks. Everything should be in place for a grand opening event tentatively set for May, Galindo said.
Sales at Greenhouse Mall are on track for what is expected to be a record year, which Galindo said is the right time to make a bold move.
"You shouldn't wait until things start to slide," she said.
Competition from high-end catalog merchants, increasing consumer acceptance of on-line shopping for home furnishings, and the need to further distinguish her specialty stores from mass merchants prompted the changes, she said. The stores will feature "new looks by high-quality brands that no one else in central Texas carries."
"We're not afraid of change or of investing for the future," Galindo said. "We're in it for the long haul."
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