A new furniture store is scheduled to open early next month in the Short North.
Grid Furnishings will occupy the storefront at 944 N. High St. and carry mid-price modern furniture lines designed in North America, such as Minneapolis-based Blu Dot and Toronto-based Gus* Modern.
“As a nationally recognized center for art and galleries in the Midwest, I believe the obvious extension of the Short North is similar to SoHo, which has become the furniture district of New York,” says Grid owner Tim Friar.
Grid is in the geographical center of the Short North and in a few years the area has the potential to be the hub of great design, as well as great art, in the region, he adds.
Essentially, Grid will function as a showroom for a range of modern residential furnishings, including seating, tables and beds, as well as artwork and art furniture by independent artists and makers.
They include artists Leah Kandel, a Columbus native; Columbus-based Kevin Keiser; Mount Vernon-based Virginia Birchfield; Cleveland-based 44 Steel, Objeti, Bomb Factory Furniture Co., and Forest City Furniture; Columbus-based Modern Farm Furniture; and New York-based AREAWARE.
Friar says research he has done indicates there is a growing demand for quality, affordable modern design furniture in Columbus and that many local residents travel outside Central Ohio to furnish their homes in that style.
“My store will be a place where someone who appreciates great design will come on a monthly basis to experience and fall in love with new and exciting modern furniture,” he says.
Grid will have a preview opening during the November Gallery Hop and the store will be fully operational the week of Nov. 8.
To learn more about Grid, visit GridFurnishings.com.
To learn more about Grid owner Tim Friar, who and what helped him get his store off the ground, and his primary goal for the business, visit TheMetropreneur.com.
All photography by Adam Slane.