West Elm to Open a New Store in Oklahoma City

Upscale furniture and furnishings store West Elm is now planning to open their first store in Oklahoma City. According to a filed building permit of $800,000, the company has plans on building an 11,000-square foot retail store. It will be located northwest of Whole Foods Market on NW Grand Avenue, quite near to Anthropologie.

This move will mean the contemporary home store will be the first national retailer to occupy the shopping center which was recently acquired by Glimcher Realty Trust from Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Glimcher Realty Trust’s recent acquisitions in Oklahoma City include Classen Curve shopping center and Nichols Hills Plaza shopping center. The Ohio-based developer has also bought several acre of undeveloped properties within the adjacent areas. According to Glimcher, this move will encourage big names in the retail industry to occupy the new vacant spaces in the shopping establishments. The company also hinted plans of continuous development projects.

The newest location for West Elm will be the second store for the retailer within the state. In February, the company has announced their plans in opening a store by late 2014 in Utica Square Shopping Centre in Tulsa. West Elm in the Utica Store will be located at the current location of Pier 1 Imports which will be closing down this spring. Currently, West Elm has 58 stores spread across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Both Glimcher Realty Trust and William-Sonoma Inc have not given any word yet on the news regarding West Elm’s new Oklahoma City location.

West Elm is a subsidiary of William Sonoma Inc which also carries William-Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, Mark and Graham, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teens.