Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In a city where Restoration Hardware is new?
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray, it might come true
Yeah, that's what we go with after a tantalizing blog post by Amy Haimerl at Crain's. "Restoration Hardware is planning to open a flagship store in downtown Detroit," she writes Thursday afternoon, citing unnamed sources.
The new location is expected to open on the 1200 block of Woodward Avenue, though in which building is unclear.
The timing also is as fuzzy as wool upholstery on an RH sofa. The company's lips are zipped.
Still, Haimerl -- an authoritative business news sleuth -- writes with a voice of confidence. "Sources say" in paragraph two later gives way to "the Detroit announcement" and "the news that RH is investing in Detroit."
The national chain is "a luxury brand in the home furnishings marketplace offering furniture, lighting, textiles, bathware, décor, outdoor and garden, as well as baby & child products," it boasts.
We serve as a curator of the finest historical design the world has to offer. Our collections of timeless, updated classics and authentic reproductions provide a unique point of view and an unmatched combination of inspired design, high quality and unparalleled value. Each season brings a wealth of new ideas culled from our exclusive partnerships with the world's most renowned artisans, allowing us to showcase their unique products, passion and vision."
The news -- or speculation, if you prefer -- comes during an upbeat week when non-local restaurant groups open Detroit branches of Punch Bowl Social and HopCat, and a week before the Aloft Hotel is due to debut downtown.
The Crain's writer, a West Village home renovator, is no stranger to RH wares and charms:
I purchased several large bathroom mirrors and medicine cabinets for less than $100 when they had been originally priced at $500 or more. . . .
RH, as it likes to be known now, has some very urban, cool fixtures if you scroll [past] the formal chandeliers and traditional sconces. Our entryway fixture, for example, is an oversize replica of a car’s headlight.
The California-based chain has a store at Somerset Collection in Troy.
Related coverage at Deadline Detroit:
Amy Haimerl of Crain's Will Chronicle West Village Home Rehab in Book, June 30, 2014
