$25M furniture showroom with wine bar to open in Sarasota County

A furniture store complete with its own cafe and wine bar is coming to University Town Center. City Furniture is opening a 120,00-square-foot showroom adjacent to the Tesla dealership, just west of the University Parkway exit off Interstate 75 in Sarasota County. 

The new home furnishings store will open in spring 2025, according to a statement. 

“Our state-of-the-art showroom will feature the latest in-home décor trends, a comprehensive mattress gallery, and our beloved KC Café and Wine Bar,” City Furniture President Ryan Cronin says in a statement. "We’re excited to bring our unique shopping experience to the Sarasota community."

Based in south Florida, City Furniture started in the 1970s as Waterbed City selling waterbeds and has since grown its presence and offerings. The UTC store will be its 25th in the state, where it has locations on both coasts and central Florida. It sells indoor and outdoor furniture as well as home accents. In addition to a beer and wine bar with light fare, City Furniture will offer free interior design help at the store.

Miller Construction Company has the $25 million contract to build the new City Furniture store, which will feature two escalators, a two-story tilt wall and electric vehicle charging stations.

The furniture showroom will be the latest addition to the newly developing East District at University Town Center, according to Benderson Development, which owns UTC.

“With new residents flocking to the area for our unrivaled year-round outdoor lifestyle, there’s an increasing demand for quality home furnishings,” Mark Chait, Benderson Development’s executive director of leasing for the southeast, says in the statement. “We are thrilled to welcome City Furniture, which will help serve the growing design needs of residents and complement the home furnishings collection at UTC.”

Other home decor retailers at UTC include Bassett, Birch Lane, Crate & Barrel, Ethan Allen, Homesense, Natuzzi Italia and Pottery Barn.

This story was updated to include information from the builder.