After Wayfair’s first and so far only “in real life” store celebrated its first anniversary recently, both company officials and the village of Wilmette say they’re happy with the results.
Wayfair, a furniture and home decor retailer, had previously sold its products exclusively through e-commerce until it opened its first-in-the-nation brick and mortar store at Edens Plaza in Wilmette.
“The guiding principles that we went into the store with are still very true,” noted Liza Lefkowski, the vice president of merchandising and stores at Wayfair. “We want the store to be a manifestation of the brand and cover a lot of ground in terms of your home needs with really great and intentional choices with the category.”
The road to Wayfair’s opening goes back to 2018 when the Carson, Pirie Scott department store, which had been a fixture in Edens Plaza since the 1950s, shut down operations at the approximately 150,000 square foot building.
After sitting idle for several years, the village announced in January 2022 that WS Development purchased Edens Plaza and simultaneously, Wayfair would take over the Carson’s space, per previous reporting.
While the store’s opening was delayed from the initial projected start date, Wayfair eventually secured village approvals leading to a building renovation. Amid a lot of fanfare, the store opened in late May 2024.
The company is not disclosing specific sales results of the Wayfair store, but in a statement they listed some accomplishments including over 720,000 visitors since its opening, the creation of more than 120 local jobs and 50% of the store’s customers being new to the Wayfair brand.
“So we are introducing ourselves to a bunch of people that we weren’t accessing before. So the store itself is a giant billboard for the brand,” Lefkowski said.
Lefkowski believes the Wilmette store’s initial success is due to a market of consumers who still like to walk down store aisles.
“There are many people out there who want to experience products in person and they want someone to talk to,” she said.
Over the past year, Lefkowski acknowledges the company had to get a handle on consumer preferences and then adapt.
“We are definitely learning how customers interact with our product and our assortment,” she reflected. “We are constantly optimizing the assortment itself. There are some products that have done well and there are some that haven’t and we are reacting accordingly.”
While there may have been growing pains, company officials believe there has been enough success in Wilmette that they plan to open similar stores in Atlanta and Yonkers, New York.
The village also likes the initial results. While not disclosing specific numbers, Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman stated Wayfair is one of the village’s largest sales tax generators. Moreover, he believes Edens Plaza is now a regional destination for shoppers.
“We are bringing in new visitors who may not have been to our community before,” Braiman said.
He mentioned the village board recently approved the opening of a Club Studio fitness center in a roughly 35,000 square foot space formerly occupied by Bed, Bath and Beyond.
“There’s a coherent strategy and approach that makes it all work together that has been lacking in that shopping center for decades,” he said. “So I think our residents are really going to enjoy having the different amenities and opportunities that WS is bringing to the Edens Plaza and we are really excited to see that come to fruition.”
Braiman expects the shopping center to be fully occupied by the end of next year with the addition of 10 new businesses (with one closure) with new food options and other businesses on their way.
“There is a lot of good synergy that is happening there,” he said. “It will be a place where people will want to spend time, shop and dine.”