Williams & Sherrill will focus on furniture and home accessories come fall. (Photo by Stephen Clatterbuck)
In its 25 years in business, Williams & Sherrill, 2003 Huguenot Road, has helped countless Richmonders redecorate and remodel, providing fabric, wallpaper, furniture, accessories and advice from its main store and outlet within the same shipping center. Later this summer, both stores will undergo a transformation as they shift their focus to meet the changing needs of today’s homeowner.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if people were still using 30 yards of fabric on their windows. The times have evolved,” says Creative Director and head buyer Jamie Coffey, who has worked at the store for 20 years.
The main store, Williams & Sherrill, will no longer carry in-stock fabric and instead will focus on furniture and home accessories. The Interior Outlet will become a textile store, selling about 60 percent first-run fabrics and 40 percent closeouts, owner Patrick Williams says.
“The industry is changing. The front of our store has been driving our growth,” he says. “I think there is a need for what we are going to bring to Richmond.” The new Williams & Sherrill will be a “lifestyle store,” he adds.
“The old furniture store is dying,” Coffey says. “They don’t sell the story. What we really want to do is inspire people.”
Williams & Sherrill Creative Director Jamie Coffey (left) with owner Patrick Williams (Photo by Meghan McSweeney)
Both Williams and Coffey have traveled the East Coast to visit successful independent stores and gather ideas. At the transformed Williams & Sherrill, expect to see new vendors and more products at a wider variety of prices. The bedding area will double, and there will be an expanded children’s area. The store will carry more lighting, artwork, accessories and rugs and will continue to offer design services to customers. The Design Center will also remain, with books of designer fabrics and wallpaper available for order.
“We will still have the jewel pieces we are known for,” Coffey says. “We will have the unique as well as the everyday. … We have looked at every room of the house to make sure we’ve touched everything. We have approached our buying from the way people live.”
Williams says both stores will have sales this month to clear inventory and prepare for the changes. Renovations to Williams & Sherrill are scheduled to begin in August, and the store will be open as much as possible throughout, though it will have to close for a week or two to move in the new merchandise. They are hoping to open the doors to the new store by mid-September, Williams says.
