Luxury home furniture retailer Restoration Hardware opened an outlet store in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on Thursday, three years after leaving the Milwaukee market.
The Corte Madera, Calif.-based retailer is leasing 27,000 square feet at 224 East Chicago St., in the former Rubin Furniture store space.
Shortly after the store’s 10 a.m. opening Thursday, the store had a steady stream of interested patrons.
Rocky Marcoux, commissioner for the department of city development, told employees before the opening that Rubin had a loyal following and the high-end Restoration Hardware chain would undoubtedly have the same.
Restoration Hardware had a store at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa for 12 years before closing in January 2013. A Restoration Hardware Outlet store in Pleasant Prairie closed about 18 months ago.
“Since leaving Mayfair, we’ve been hoping you would come back,” Marcoux said. “This is the story of the Third Ward’s success. The fact that Restoration Hardware picked downtown Milwaukee speaks volumes to where we are right now. You looked at a lot of places, and here you are.”
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