Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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Summer Classics' existing stores showcase outdoor furniture, but the SC Home concept stores will feature the company's comparatively newer Gabby line of indoor furniture, light- ing and accessories — introduced in 2010 — alongside its traditional of- ferings. In addition, the associates ver Some tHree deCadeS in business, Summer Classics has built a solid reputation as a luxury outdoors-furniture designer and maker. that's a lot of summers. Now the company is embarking on a new stage of growth to expand its chain of stores. Until fairly recently, the Birmingham, ala.–based company has relied primarily on selling products wholesale, through a network of dealers. Indeed, since 1997, Summer Classics has opened less than a dozen stores. But the company is about to open its 12th, at renaissance Place, in Highland Park, Ill. this is cer- tainly a milestone, because the company is rolling out a new store prototype as well as develop- ing a concept to complement the one it has been known for. at the SC Home stores will work with customers to offer design sup- port for indoor and outdoor spaces alike. "It is going to be a really, really high-quality design immersion in our stores," said dick Cross, co-Ceo of Summer Classics. Company founder co-Ceo Bew White launched Summer Classics in 1979 to sell the wares of various outdoor-furniture makers. He became dissatisfied with the quality of many of the products, however, so in 1987 he began guiding Summer Classics into the design and manufacture of its own products for sale at the likes of Crate & Barrel, restoration Hard- ware and Williams-Sonoma. "What sets us apart is the level of detail to which we'll go to design products, and the quality of specifications we O Upscale outdoors furniture brand summer classics is growing its store network By Beth Mattson-Teig r e t a i l i n g t O d a y 32 S C t / a p r i l 2 0 1 6