Carls Opens New Furniture & Patio Showroom Coconut Creek Facility Is Retailer’s Largest Store And New Corporate Headquarters

Furniture World Magazine

Carls, one of the Southeast’s largest furniture and patio retailers, is getting a brand new “house” to furnish. Fred Friedman, Carls president, announced that the grand opening of the chain’s largest facility has opened in Coconut Creek. The new 400,000-square-foot facility houses furniture and patio showrooms, a state-of-the-art warehouse complex and the company’s new corporate headquarters offices. “This dynamic new facility strengthens our position in the highly competitive South Florida marketplace,” said Friedman. “By showcasing our exciting furniture and patio lines under one roof, we can offer convenient ‘one-stop-shopping’ for customers throughout northern Broward and southern Palm Beach counties.” The new showroom, with more than 175 fully accessorized room vignettes, is the company's tenth furniture store and sixth patio store. It is located at 6812 State Road 7 at Hillsboro Boulevard in Coconut Creek. The showroom features a stunning entrance, with a 50-foot high peaked atrium, which towers over the 35-foot ceilings. A grand staircase with a mid-level showcase platform greets visitors the moment their feet touch the Italian marble floors. To celebrate the opening of its largest showroom, Carls offered its patrons a chance to win $50,000 on selected furniture pieces throughout all of its locations. Carls has carved a leadership niche in South Florida furniture retailing by showcasing high fashion luxury furnishings in fully accessorized gallery settings. The retailer specializes in mid- to high-end home furnishings, accessories, floor coverings and window treatments, representing nationwide designers and manufacturers such as Bernhardt, Century, Natuzzi, and Lane as well as patio lines such as Lloyd Flanders, Woodard, Brown Jordan and Lane. Friedman said Carls will further continue to expand throughout South Florida’s affluent East Coast by bringing the art of living and design together for this growing region. The company plans to open another new showroom in December in northern Miami-Dade County at the former Levitz Furniture site off the Palmetto Expressway (S.R. 826) near the Golden Glades interchange. Founded by Carl Ross in 1943, Carls has enjoyed remarkable growth since being purchased by its current ownership in 1974. At that time, the company had only three locations with $2.5 million in total annual sales. Today, Carls has steadily grown to $114 million in annual sales with 520 employees. In addition to the new Coconut Creek facility, Carls Furniture currently has showrooms in Stuart, North Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Aventura and Kendall. The new Coconut Creek Carls is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m. The new showroom’s phone number is (954) 949-0900. NEW COCONUT CREEK LOCATION: Address: 6812 North State Road 7, Coconut Creek, Florida. Location: Southeast corner of Hillsboro Boulevard and 441; Project Size: 400,000-square-feet total; Location Use: Distribution Center for Carls Furniture and Carls Patio (266,000 sq. ft.); Carls Furniture Showroom (60,000 sq. ft.); Carls Patio Showroom (15,000 sq. ft.); Carls Corporate Offices (15,000 sq. ft.); Additional Retail Space (40,000 sq. ft.) Project Cost: $22 million; Contractor: Butters Construction, Deerfield Beach, Florida; Architect: Paul Slattery, Slattery & Associates, Boca Raton, Florida; Highlights: The furniture store will currently be the largest in the Carls group. The Coconut Creek showroom will feature a stunning entrance, with a 50-foot high peaked atrium, which towers over the 35-foot ceiling. The view from the entrance is a grand staircase with a mid-level showcase platform. There will be more than 175 fully accessorized room vignettes; Galleries: Bernhardt (high end case goods, upholstery and occasional); Century (high end case goods, upholstery and occasional); Ferguson Copeland (high end case goods and upholstery); Raymond Waites for Lane (eclectic items from the world over); Michael Weiss for Vanguard (Contemporary case goods designer collection); Natuzzi (leather upholstery); Feizy (Persian rugs); Sealy and Sterns & Fosters (bedding); Departments: Home Office/Small Office; Youth Furniture; Drapery and Window Treatments; Floor Coverings; Custom Bedding Ensembles; Case Goods Manufacturers: Bernhardt, Century, Ferguson Copeland, Stanley, American Drew, Lane, Bassett, Shermag, Boyd, Hooker and Lea; Upholstery Manufacturers: Bernhardt, Century, John Charles, Ferguson Copeland, Precident, Bauhaus, Alan White, Klaussner, Palliser, Nattuzzi and Leather Trend; Patio Manufacturers: Woodard, Brown Jordan, Lloyd Flanders, Cast Classics and Lane; Founded: 1943 by Carl Ross. Sold to current ownership in 1974; Management: Alan Steinberg, General Manager, Carls Furniture; Paul Otowchits, General Manager, Carls Patio; Andy Morris, Merchandise Manager; Gary Fitzpatrick, Advertising Director; Scott DuBlois, Operations Manager; Employees: 520; Annual Sales: $114 million. Carls Furniture ranked #48 among Top 100 Furniture Retailers in US. Carls Patio ranked in Top 5 Patio Retailers in US