Kohler and its partnership with kitchen and bath showroom company Studio41 continues to be productive. In late September, the companies officially opened its third Kohler Signature Store by Studio41. The latest location is a 10,000-square-foot facility in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois.
“It’s been a real good partnership,” Kohler Senior Sales Executive Travis Rotelli said. “They’ve been a willing and gracious partner to help us put together such an expansive showroom.”
Rotelli states there are more than 900 products available for customers to peruse and purchase if they stop into the showroom.
“The crown jewel is the exclusiveness,” he says. “Having a showroom and platform of this scale and size allows us to show so many things that Kohler believes in and products we’re proud of. Being a homeowner and coming in here can be potentially overwhelming. But, having a dedicated staff working with them and being able to say ‘Oh, by the way, I have all of this stuff to show you on display’ is going to help drive the brand and drive the awareness of us.”
The Naperville location features multiple vanities, faucet walls, working showerhead display, kitchen and bath accessory walls, mirrors and more. The finish faucet wheel is a highlight, allowing visitors to spin three wheels to match up how a faucet and finish would look in their bathroom.
“That showcases our wood vanity colors, our vitreous and cast-iron colors and all our faucets colors,” Rotelli notes. “Instead of taking a sample or a paint color (swatch) and running around their home, a customer can do that right here in the store.”
Rotelli says the Naperville location is developing a “Take Me Home Today” option where customers who come into the store in an emergency such as a faucet being broken right before Thanksgiving or Christmas, they can leave the store the same day with a new unit.
“Through working with Studio41 and looking through their sales data we are able to pick out pieces that we think will be successful,” he says. “But, also have pieces we know are selling well. We’re actively stocking things at the showroom where if someone comes in during an emergency they’re covered.”