Seldens acquires fellow retailer, Schoenfeld Interiors

Story highlights:

• Seldens acquires Schoenfeld Interiors in Bellevue.
• Showroom to reopen under Seldens in September with updated design.
• Acquisition preserves Schoenfeld client orders and designer relationships.
• New location offers improved visibility and shopping experience.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Seldens Designer Home Furnishings, a fourth-generation Puget Sound retailer, has purchased longtime Bellevue retailer Schoenfeld Interiors for an undisclosed sum.

Seldens is working with owner Bob Schoenfeld, who is retiring, during the transition. The full design and administrative team is staying on; the Schoenfeld warehouse employees, who work about two hours north, will remain through August. Seldens will handle the delivery of remaining Schoenfeld client orders and refresh the space in preparation for a Seldens Bellevue reopening in September.

“There’s a strong overlap in our design philosophy, product lines, and above all, in how we serve clients,” said General Manager Jake Cross, a fourth-generation Seldens family member.

“Bob and his team always had a great focus on who they were and who they were serving,” Cross told Home Accents Today. “He didn’t get distracted by shiny things. It was something I admired about him.”

Schoenfeld excelled in presenting contemporary lifestyle looks. Among its brands were American Leather, Cattelan Italia, Lee, Gamma, Copeland, and others.

Seldens, meanwhile, is known for its Northwest take on traditional and transitional styles. Its brands include Stickley, Lexington and American Leather, among others. Folding the Schoenfeld assortment into Seldens will add new design options for customers, Cross said.

Seldens also carries decorative accessories, wall art, lighting and top of bed. With the acquisition of Schoenfeld, Seldens will expand into more contemporary home accents, particularly in lighting, Cross said.

“Home accents has always been important to us – the frosting on the design that really brings it to life.”

The Seldens sales team is made up of interior designers who serve as guides for customers and go on house calls — visiting clients’ home to see what existing pieces they have and to measure; they then go back to the store and come up with a full plan for the customer. “It’s a full package to tie everything together,” said Cross. “A designer will go out with a lot of home accents and accessories and finish it off. It’s accessories that really give the wow factor and complete the look.”

With the acquisition of Schoenfeld, Seldens — which operates three Selden stores, a Bassett House showroom and a Summer House showroom — will have 11 in-house designers.

For Seldens Bellevue, the new location provides a strategic improvement. The 17,000-square-foot showroom on Northup Way offers better visibility, easier parking, and a more convenient shopping experience than its current mixed-use location at 10708 Main Street.

In its corner of the Pacific Northwest, Seldens competes with big furniture verticals like Ethan Allen, RH, West Elm, Pottery Barn and Room & Board. Its acquisition of Schoenfeld will likely strengthen its position in the marketplace.

“We’re competitors, sure, but we’ve also been friends with Bob for years,” noted Scott Selden, third-generation co-owner, of the Schoenfeld acquisition. “That’s a beautiful thing about the Northwest furniture market. There’s a level of mutual admiration and cooperation that can be pretty special — and this transition reflects that.”

“This is a win for everyone,” agreed Bob Schoenfeld. “I get to retire knowing my clients and team are in good hands, and Seldens gets a great location and great people. It’s the right way to do it.”