With the help of a freshly painted blue exterior and a neon sign baring their brand’s logo, Carly Nance and Rachel Bentley plan to open the first showroom and studio for their online home décor shop, The Citizenry, this November. For admirers of the company’s globally sourced, handcrafted furniture and decorative accessories, the brick-and-mortar shop, designed by Nance and Bentley and located in the Knox-Henderson area, will offer shoppers the chance to browse new products before they make their online debut.
We were lucky enough to get a pre-opening peek at the charming showroom (click to see the slideshow) and chat with The Citizenry’s founders about their brand’s next big step and what Dallas shoppers have to look forward to this fall.
CC: What inspired you to open a showroom for The Citizenry?
CN: We felt that having a showroom and having a place for people to engage with our brand was key. Anytime we’ve done short pop-ups offline, we’ve seen such a great response to our products, because they’re so tactile and high quality. In our showroom, people will be able to experience the products in person and see all of us here working. It’s the next level of storytelling and transparency.
How did you go about finding the space for the studio/showroom? Were you always hoping to end up in the Knox-Henderson area?
CN: We started the idea behind The Citizenry a couple of years ago in my backhouse in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood, and really came to think of it as the décor mecca of Dallas. We knew we would our showroom to be in the area, but it can be tricky to find a space.
RB: It was one of those wonderful connections that just happened when you’re out in the community meeting people. We were at Cane Rosso and met some guys at the bar next to us who happened to work at JLL. We told them about our company, and they said, ‘We’d love to help you.’
CN: The building wasn’t listed anywhere, it just sort of fell into our lap. It’s going to be kind of a speakeasy shopping experience. It’s on a second floor on Insurance Lane, but we’ve painted the outside a beautiful blue since we’ve moved in. We’re looking forward to people finding us and getting in on our secret.
What are some of your favorite design elements in the new space?
RB: Leather and copper touches throughout the space really lighten up the industrial feel.
CN: Brendon Ravenhill is a lighting design in Los Angeles, and he’s brought in some really stunning modern lamps. We’re all about cultivating the best craftsmanship from around the world, so we want to partner with our favorite local artisans and incorporate their work into our space as well as it evolves.
So, what can shoppers expect when they visit the showroom this November?
CN: We want it to be a cool experience for the people who find us. We’ll always have snacks, wine, and beverages available. We have lots of fun ideas for Saturday events.
RB: The little neon sign on the outside of the building will let you know you’re here. We also encourage people to call ahead and let us know they’re coming so we can pull products for them and help them find that perfect piece for their space. There really will be that personalized, one-on-one shopping experience.
CN: We hope it will be a great place to get to know us, bring friends, and shop these beautiful things from around the world.
