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The more spacious showroom adds more room to present to customers the bath and kitchen products that can add value to their homes.
“We needed a space larger than the one that we had in Scarsdale,’’ said Kymberly Weiner, Best’s Marketing and Showroom Merchandising Manager.
The new location in Scarsdale, at 1019 Central Park Avenue, is about a quarter mile from its previous location. The new showroom is about 8,500 square feet, and includes a 2,000 square foot tile gallery. The new dimensions allow the Scarsdale showroom to be in line with the layout of Best’s other showrooms in Somers and Yorktown in Westchester County and in Stamford, Conn.
“We also have better parking, additional desks and we can grow our business,’’ said Weiner, the granddaughter of the business founders, Adele and Mel Weiner. “We have been looking at expanding our space in Scarsdale and this was a terrific opportunity.”
While the industry has changed since Best opened its doors in 1960, Best has evolved and become more sophisticated. Its fundamentals, however, have remained consistent with its original premise. It is still a people business, and provides the same level of high-touch service excellence that helped build the company.
Family has also remained rooted as Best has evolved. Mel and Adele’s oldest son, Jonas, joined the business in 1972, followed by his youngest brother, Jess, in 1979. Kymberly joined the business in 2006 and a grandson, Michael, joined in 2011.
Best has also retained an experienced sales team. Most of its sales personnel has been with Best for more than 10 years, and most of its management team have been with the company for 20 years or more.
“The industry is going a lot more toward the end user selecting and purchasing products,’’ Kymberly said. “We have always been geared toward the retail experience. We’ve always felt the homeowner should be able to choose their own product. In the past 10 years, with the increase in popularity of television shows focused on home repair and renovation, homeowners are more interested in becoming part of the process.”
Like many industries, Best and other home remodeling retailers felt the impact of the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. “Since then, we’ve seen steady growth and people are investing in their homes again,’’ Weiner said. “Consumer confidence has definitely grown in the past couple of years.”
And Best is not done with its expansion plans. Next year, it plans to open a Kohler Signature Store in Manhattan. The 10,000 square foot store offers the latest in Kohler products along with project consultants with expertise in bath design. The store will feature products from Kohler, Kallista and Robern. There are only 15 Kohler Signature Stores in the nation, with more scheduled to open next year.
Technology has become an integral part of the plumbing space. Kohler products embracing technology include the Veil Intelligent Toilet, with integrated cleansing functionality, heated toilet seat and LED lighting; the Moxie, a shower head with a Bluetooth enabled wireless speaker that lets you drench yourself in your music and generates a full-coverage, revitalizing spray of water for a sensory experience like no other; and vibracoustic technology, a hydrotherapy available in multiple baths that includes hidden speakers that emit sound waves that envelop and gently resound within the body.
Weiner said customers can view Best’s full line of products at its new location in Scarsdale.
“I think people will find it’s a much better atmosphere, brighter, more elbow room and a much more spacious feel,’’ she said.
For more information, click here to visit the Best Plumbing Tile & Stone website.
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