LaDifference Opening Short Pump Showroom In February

Eagle Commercial Realty confirmed more details of something that had been speculated over several months Tuesday, announcing that Shockoe Bottom international furnishings staple LaDifference is opening a 7,200 square foot showroom at West Broad Village Wednesday, February 2. The store will be located in space formerly occupied by Markel/Eagle, used for a period of time […]

January 12, 2011; 9:28 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

The store will be located in space formerly occupied by Markel/Eagle, used for a period of time as their construction offices, at 2436 Old Brick Road. The space is several doors down from Dave & Buster’s.

The West Broad Village location will offer shoppers in Central Virginia added convenience and access to the benefits of modern design and will hold a Grand Opening celebration February 19-21.

The new location will offer a wide range of modern furniture and accessories and allow customers to quickly compare styles, quality and prices to the many traditional “big box” furnishings stores within a two-mile radius. While LaDiff’s flagship store at 125 S. 14th St. in Richmond’s historic River District showcases 50,000 square feet of the company’s contemporary pieces, the Short Pump location – by virtue of its size – will display LaDiff’s bestsellers and what co-owner Sarah Paxton calls “showstoppers” from around the world.

“For years we’ve had customers driving from the West End and Charlottesville to our flagship store, and what we’ve heard is that they wanted us to be more convenient to where they live. By opening a second store at West Broad Village, we’re making LaDiff more accessible than ever,” Paxton said. “We’re excited to expand our footprint in Central Virginia and bring LaDiff’s unique shopping experience to even more customers.”

Chris Pine, President of Eagle Commercial Realty, said LaDiff is a perfect tenant for West Broad Village, a pedestrian-friendly urban living, office and shopping community in the heart of Short Pump. “We are still very much in a growth phase at West Broad Village, and we expect that LaDiff will be a major draw for many people from around the area,” he said.

LaDifférence co-owner Andy Thornton said the architecture of the West Broad Village store – about the size of two-and-a-half tennis courts – will maintain the open look and feel of the three-story downtown store “and bring that experience out to Short Pump.”

LaDiff, which employs 25 people, expects to hire three or four more full-time commissioned sales positions to staff the new store. Jobs will be shifted from the downtown location until the positions are filled. The store manager is Matthew King, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate who has several years of experience in the retail and international shipping industries. For now, the store hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

“We’re forecasting this location to contribute to a substantial portion of our company’s overall sales,” said Thornton, without giving a specific figure. “And while we want our customers to have a shopping option closer to their homes, we also hope this location will encourage folks to come downtown and visit our flagship. This location in the West End is really about convenience and access. We want everybody to be happy, because we’re happy guys.”