Robb & Stucky buys land, plans new store

BUYER: RSII Properties Inc., Greensboro, N.C.

SELLER: Weakley Family Properties LLC

PROPERTY: 330 10th St. S., 309 Ninth St. S., 9 Third Ave. S., and 935 and 957 Fourth Ave. S., Naples

PRICE: $3.8 million

LAW FIRM ON DEED: Cheffy Passidomo, Naples

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Robb & Stucky International purchased a 2.3-acre site along Tamiami Trail and near the prominent retail corridor Fifth Avenue for $3.8 million.

The price equated to $1.65 million per acre.

The buyer plans to demolish a small four-tenant retail strip center on the property to develop a new 60,000-square-foot, two-story upscale home furnishings store.

“We are planning a beautiful interior design showroom with seven different lifestyle shops,” says Steve Lush, president of Robb & Stucky International. “Because we section off each area of the store it actually shrinks the size of the store and allows [the customer] to more easily find what they like.”

Robb & Stucky International is a company created by the Chinese furniture wholesaler Samson Holding Ltd. CEO Samuel Kuo and his family purchased the name and other intellectual assets from Fort Myers-based high-end furniture retailer Robb & Stucky in bankruptcy auction.

The land buyer has been working with Matthew Kragh of MHK Architecture & Planning on preliminary design work for the new building. Lush is hopeful that construction can start on the new facility in the spring for an opening in early 2013.

“Robb & Stucky is really known from its ornate heavy European look,” Lush says. “We will have that too, but we all also have a much wider selection of styles and price points.”

This week, Robb & Stucky International opened its first showroom, in a former Robb & Stucky store location in Fort Myers. The 76,783-square-foot building at 13170 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers also houses the company's offices.

Randy Thibaut, William Rollins and Janie Hooker of Land Solutions Inc. represented the seller, Weakley Family Properties. Monette Klein-O'Grady of Prime Sites Inc. represented the buyer.