Retailers creating new south-side furniture row

That trademark label is affixed to a group of furniture stores – Sofa Mart, Denver Mattress Co., Oak Express, Bedroom Expressions – at Division and Highway 65 on Springfield’s northeast side.

But if new store plans for Hank’s Fine Furniture and Furniture Factory Outlet materialize on Independence, a south-side version could compete with the label.

Those stores would join Bassett Furniture Direct, La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Slumberland Furniture within blocks of each other on the Independence strip that runs parallel with James River Freeway.

The biggest difference: Furniture Row has a single owner, Furniture Row Cos.

Hank’s is building a $2.5 million 57,000-square-foot showroom and warehouse at 1645 E. Independence, while Furniture Factory Outlet is planning a 31,000-square-foot store at Fremont and Independence.

The newcomers, don’t seem to mind the crowd.

“We liked the high visibility of the site. It just so happens there are some other stores in that area,” said FFO District Manager Rick Tennis. “I think any time you can be on the major bunny trail for a particular business, it can be helpful to you.”

Hank Browne, owner of Hank’s, sees the competition working to his store’s benefit.

“We’re very pleased to have a customer come in that’s been to other furniture stores first. We always feel that’s to our advantage,” he said.

“We picked the location because it’s in what I consider to be the best retail area in Springfield.”

Hank’s move

Hank’s Fine Furniture is moving its southeast-side store to brand new, bigger digs in southwest Springfield.

The 27,900-square-foot store, at 2855 S. Kansas Expressway, sold Aug. 5 to Warren Davis Properties for about $2 million. Rankin Co. had listed the property for $1,995,000.

The Sherwood, Ark.-based furniture chain is building on an eight-acre parcel it acquired in May.

The remaining land, according to Hank’s Construction and Property Manager Steve Roberts, will be available for either resale or further development, though no definitive plans are yet in place.

The company will remain in the Kansas Expressway location, leasing space from Davis Properties until the new facility is ready, according to Tom Rankin of Rankin Co.

“They love the Springfield market – it’s been very good to them,” Rankin said. “They just need a bigger store to sell more furniture.”

Ron Sheppard of Davis Properties said plans have not been set for what will be done with the building after Hank’s moves. Davis Properties has not yet begun marketing the building, though Sheppard added that it does have several possible uses.

Hank’s new store is not the first development that has been planned for the land on Independence.

In 2003, developer Bob Winters of Regal Industries LLC in Ozark made plans to purchase 2.7 acres of that land.

Winters’ plans called for the space to be turned into a $10 million to $15 million Mediterranean-style center called The Promenade, featuring retail and restaurant spaces.

Todd Chambers, the leasing agent for that deal, said the plans fell through, when an agreement could not be reached between Winters and the ownership group for the land.

Chambers finally completed the sale of the land in May of this year to B&F Advertising, a subsidiary of Hank’s.

FFO plans

Furniture Factory Outlet has requested Springfield City Council approval for a planned development on 1.7 acres near Thompson Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac to build its new store.

FFO’s Tennis said the main draw there is the frontage on James River Freeway.

The new store, which will supplement the two locations already operating in the city, is currently still in the design phase. Tennis said the company hopes to have the store up and running within the next 12 months.