Those 7 Garden Ridge stores around the Houston area that sell lots of mirrors and rugs and pots and silky fake flowers but no garden equipment or hills aren’t closing, but they will soon sport new names. The entire 21-state chain is rebranding itself, store by store, to a name that’s both more descriptive and more generic: At Home. And CEO Lee Bird, who earlier this year yanked the home-goods company’s headquarters away from Houston and moved it to Dallas, appears to have been inspired by his colleagues in the fashion industry: “We want to be known as the Forever 21 of home decor,” he tells the Dallas Morning News, “fast and affordable.” No announcement has been made explaining when the Willowbrook, Woodlands, Humble, Westheimer, Katy, Sugar Land, or Webster Garden Ridge locations will get their new blue-and-gray signage and the new “Home Decor Superstore” tagline, but the entire $20 million project is scheduled to be complete before the end of the year.
- Garden Ridge is evolving into At Home [Dallas Morning News]
- Garden Ridge CEO: Why we’re investing $20M to rename, rebrand stores [Houston Business Journal]
- Previously on Swamplot: Please Bring Your Final Purchases To Conroe for Checkout
Photos: Jonathan Dockery/Carrollton Menu (At Home in Douglasville, Georgia); robincharmagne (sign)
Not a good name. Too generic and bland and also confusing. “Where did you get that beautiful pottery?” “At home.” Too bad Home Depot was already taken.
“We want to be known as the Forever 21 of home decor,â€
Where they sell tacky things marketed at young women, but really will be bought by aging woo-girls and soccer moms?
Except that Forever 21 is fashionable, spots the trends early on, popular, and the kids can’t get enough of it. Garden Ridge will go the way of Blockbuster.
I’m stunned they didn’t name it “@home” for that 21st century #branding #experience.
As long as you still come out of that place smelling like the victim of a potpourri bukkake, I hope to never have to set foot in one.
Being known as the “Forever 21 of home decor: is not a good thing; that’s enough to deter me from shopping there.
20 years ago, Garden Ridge was pretty cool. Somewhere along the way, they decided to be some wal-mart version of something, never quite sure and I don’t think the people who ran it did either. The merchandise got crummier, less quality, less interesting.
Oh come on now. They could name it “Mangled Baby Ducks” and people would still swarm on it like flies on poo.
So much sarcasm, where is commonsense when you need him/her?
“We want to be known as the Forever 21 of home decor,†So, shamelessly ripping off other designers and selling their ideas as your own? Or the whole selling cheap Chinese crap angle? The latter is really where Garden Ridge started to head south, as another observant reader noted, around the late 90’s. Not knowing who they were and where they were headed with business the decision was made to just ape the Oriental Trading Company’s model- but make it worse somehow.
I nominate “potpourri bukkake” for comment of the day. I spit (or possibly bukkake’d) my drink on that one.
Imagine trying to tag @home…It would always appear as “Home”. Unless you went with @”@HOME”…then it would autocorrect and you would be stuck back at square one. HAHAHAHAHA
I think by Spring there’s Garden Ridge, too.
They should rename it “Every Husband’s Nightmare” … that’s what mine called it.
Phew.. the initial headline scared me. Can’t say I like the new name but I’ll keep shopping there.
I thought being known as “the Cracker Barrel of home decor” was working out just fine for them, but what do I know?
So greatful that as an inner looper, I have never heard of or been to this store.
Garden Ridge is known for tacky and cheap home decor . It is where people who can’t decorate or who have horrible taste ( the commoners ) shop. Tacky tacky tacky
SemperFudge – @Home is already the name of a failed internet business. Probably the name belongs to somebody else now.
This does not look good.
Oh the hate on here. Not everyone can afford to shop at the HIGH end stores for their homes. Some of you sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. Say for instance this reponse.
Adam G
“June 18, 2014 at 8:31 pm
So greatful that as an inner looper, I have never heard of or been to this store.” Adam You might want to see what the OUTER loop offers some time. Yawn on your response.
If you dont care for the store, stay away as some like it.
Such as this post.
Tawnya
” June 18, 2014 at 3:36 pm
Phew.. the initial headline scared me. Can’t say I like the new name but I’ll keep shopping there.”
Thanks Tawyna.
Eye roll on this post:
” Ken Bernstein
June 18, 2014 at 9:11 pm
Garden Ridge is known for tacky and cheap home decor . It is where people who can’t decorate or who have horrible taste ( the commoners ) shop. Tacky tacky tacky”
Tell us where you shop Ken?
This seems like a last ditch effort to save a failing company. I remember the last time I went to Garden Ridge years ago (by mistake) it felt like an overseas tourist trap where they sell cheap trinkets from Asian sweatshops that break the moment you start to use them.
Thanks for the warning. That saves me from accidentally shopping there one day.
regardless of the complaining, it’s a smart move for a company with a dying demographic and shrinking market cap that will eventually be slaughtered by the interwebs.
***
re-branding is a must if they’re going to rebuild any connection with consumers below 40 and they’re dead in the water if the don’t. you can’t operate large retail stores that only target a small segment of the total population anymore. i’m surprised they’ve made it this far though so they must have some life in them.
I loved it when it used to be a really great craft store. The last time I visited, I saw that it had turned into an enormous junk store. It appears as though Michaels is heading down the same path.
It was started in the San Antonio suburb of Garden Ridge, thus the name—it was actually pretty cool when I was a kid, now it’s crap–this CEO is an fing moron–what a horrid name–yeah, it will go under in less than 5 years
Prior to about 20 years ago, Garden Ridge sold true imports from Latin america. One could find great deals on unique items. Today, the mdse is junk. When The Woodlands’ location burned down, I read that that store was a top store in the Houston market! So of course they rebuilt! But the place was always empty. 1 of 14 registers were staffed even at Xmas time.
I can honestly say I’ve not only never been in one of these stores. But never even heard of them.
.
Not to upset hardworkingwoman,mbut maybe it’s because I live in the loop :)
Cody, there used to be a Garden Ridge in the loop, but it’s been quite a few years now. I loved the place, actually. Any college student or new grad with her first apartment loved the place. It was like Target with more sunshine.
I’m really surprised that Garden Ridge is still around … they USED to be cool stores 15-20 yrs ago and carried good craft supplies and some quality home items. I think I’ve been to the GR here in Sugar Land maybe 3 times in the last 3-4 yrs. Last few times in it looked more like a flea market than ever, selling scrubs ? and crappy luggage and clothing ?? and there were maybe 4 customers besides me, on a Saturday afternoon. Not good. Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, Marshall’s and of course Ross have taken GR customers away. Don’t think this will revive them any, unless they fire their clueless CEO and bring in a whole new line of merchandise !!
the location here in the woodlands has already begun with the repainting and re-branding, starting from the outside in. like many businesses that decide the best way to bring in customers is to re-brand instead of review their business practices and product lines to see if what they’re selling is what people really want, this choice also makes me wonder what kind of advice the ceo is listening too.
the woodlands location is regularly devoid of customers, regardless of day or time of day. i don’t get over that way often, as the only reason in general to be in that area is burlington coat factory (which is two doors down). but that’s just it – 99% of whatever i might be looking for on a particular day that garden ridge may sell, i can get at burlington – and usually find it faster, and cheaper. the latter most likely because i’m not looking for cheap shit, i’m looking for quality merchandise at a lower cost.
i wouldn’t go so far as to hope this is the beginning of the end for the company, though. i’m sure if it does implode it will affect a great number of people beyond mr. bird – and for that, i’d be sorry. instead i just hope that a part of their re-branding efforts we may not be hearing about is a decrease in their crap product lines, and more focus on product that the customers actually want.
I miss garden ridge pottery is not the same store anymore I was sad when I w a lked inside at home very different now :( I want the old garden ridge pottery back :(