Dive Brief:
- DTC custom rug brand Ernesta has officially opened its newest showroom located in Dallas at Preston Royal shopping center after first announcing the location in January. The showroom is located at 6025 Royal Lane, Suite 330 in North Dallas.
- The 1,256-square-foot store is designed with a lounge for one-on-one consultations as well as an area featuring the brand’s vast selection of wool, natural fiber, and performance rugs. Customers can review samples and customization options around such designs as stair runners, corner shapes and fireplace cutouts, per a company release.
- Dallas represents the brand’s sixth showroom location, with a seventh set to open this spring in Manhasset, New York. It also plans to open three additional locations in 2026, per the company.
Dive Insight:
Ernesta’s hybrid approach of selling product is in keeping with industry trends surrounding DTC brands. A GlobalData report in 2023 found that post-pandemic consumers were ready to visit brick-and-mortar stores for an in-person shopping experience.
The Dallas opening marks the brand’s ongoing commitment to meeting customers where they are and gives consumers and designers additional ways to experience Ernesta products firsthand.
Founded by former Peloton executives John Foley, Hisao Kushi and Yony Feng, Ernesta launched in 2023 following a $25 million Series A funding round and e-commerce beta program.
Ernesta opened its first showroom in 2024 in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The company has since added locations in Summit, New Jersey; Bethesda, Maryland; Greenwich, Connecticut; Birmingham, Michigan; and now North Dallas.
"We've seen a growing customer base in the Dallas metro area, driven by a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and highly customizable, high-quality home furnishings," Jennifer Parker, chief sales officer at Ernesta, said in a statement. "Opening a showroom in Dallas allows us to work more closely with the local design community and offer hands-on support around quality and customization."
DTC brands have increasingly opted to add wholesale partnerships and their own brick-and-mortar stores as running an online business has become more expensive.
“The general principle of having a physical presence still holds true for DTC brands,” Neil Saunders, GlobalData managing director, said in an email. “What has changed, however, is the economics of running a DTC business. The cost of capital is now much higher, and investors are much stricter about generating a return. So, what we are seeing is more rational expansion that needs to fuel both the top and bottom lines rather than just being about expanding sales.”
