Furniture chain debuts new concept

A new Ethan Allen store for the Sarasota-Bradenton market, currently under construction, will be one of three boutique-style prototypes for the high-end furniture and home accessories chain.

The new stores, according to the Danbury, Conn.-based company, will have an intimate and relaxed format. The stores will also have a new line of products, including lamps, bedding, pillows and vases. The 8,000-square-foot Sarasota-Bradenton location, being built near the $315 million University Town Center mall project in north Sarasota County, is expected to open in January. It will replace the chain's previous location in the market, which was on U.S. 41 in south Sarasota.

The other Ethan Allen locations that will debut the new concepts are in Winter Park and Boca Raton. Ethan Allen Chairman, President and CEO Farooq Kathwari says the new store prototypes follow how people shop and decorate today. “Ethan Allen is more than just a furniture store,” Kathwari says in a statement. “It's a total home design resource, and this fresh approach will better highlight everything we offer and appeal to shoppers who are looking for ways to instantly update their homes.”