After leaving Redmond and Washington in 2002, Z Gallerie has returned to the Northwest.
The California-based company, which sells furniture, artwork, textiles, lighting and other decorative accessories for the home, will open its newest location at 16401 NE 74th St. in Redmond Town Center with a special ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning.
With 54 locations in 19 states, Gordon Andahl, public relations manager for Z Gallerie, said the Redmond store is the only one in Washington. Z Gallerie, which was founded in 1979 by siblings Joe and Mike Zeiden and Carole Malfatti in Sherman Oaks, Calif, had previously been in Redmond Town Center from 1997 to 2002, but Andahl said that location was twice as big as their typical store format and the company decided the size did not work with their merchandising model. This, however, did not mean the store was not well received.
“We were successful in the Redmond market, thus, the reason we are returning,” Andahl said. “We were disappointed leaving the Seattle/Redmond market, however at that time we were unable to find a location that met our store size requirements.”
Courtney Rondon, the company’s director of visual merchandising, visits Z Gallerie locations throughout the country and has been in Redmond since Sunday preparing the store for its grand opening. He said when he and his team called to make hotel reservations for the duration of their stay, they received a very excited response from the hotel staff and many well wishes.
The feeling is mutual. Rondon said the company is looking forward to building a great relationship in the Redmond market.
“We are excited to open our location at Redmond Town Center,” said Z Gallerie President Joe Zeiden in a press release. “We have received a lot of enthusiasm from the community and know our customers are excited to shop the unique product mix Z Gallerie has to offer.”
Rondon describes Z Gallerie’s style as very eclectic and caters to a wide range of customers. Their merchandise is classic but with a modern twist — often in the form of color.
“We do have a lot of flavors when it comes to color,” he said. “We just cater to good design.”
Rondon added that at a glance, Z Gallerie merchandise may look expensive, but they are pretty reasonably priced and the company often has specials and promotions as well as markdowns just like any other store.
“You will always discover something new at Z Gallerie, whether it’s an exquisite piece of artwork to complete your living room or a beautiful dinnerware collection to complement your dining room table,” Joe Zeiden added. “Z Gallerie customers expect unbeatable style and unlimited design ideas at affordable prices.”
When opening a new store, Rondon said Z Gallerie has a timeline of 90 days from the beginning of construction to when the store opens for customers and the Redmond location has been no different. Z Gallerie staff from out-of-state stores were recruited to help with setting up the new 10,000 square-foot store, but the actual staff of roughly eight employees for the Redmond location will be composed of local individuals.
The new store is very similar to other Z Gallerie stores, but Rondon said there have been a few architectural and design changes here and there such as flooring and fixtures.
“We’ve just added some design elements to bring the stores up to current standards,” he said.
