The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Lillian August opens at SoNo Collection mall
NORWALK — Lillian August has opened at The SoNo Collection mall, one year since a liquidation clearance at its longtime flagship store in Norwalk and as a former landlord is still looking to collect $2.2 million after the furniture outlet abandoned its Stamford warehouse two years ago.
A sign for the Lillian August store is the first to greet drivers on West Avenue above a bank of empty windows at the mall. The store is located on the second level adjacent to Apple, one of the mall’s busiest stores.
The store has opened more than two years after Lillian August was among the early lineup of retailers committing to The SoNo Collection in 2019.
While The SoNo Collection notes on its website the arrival of the new store, Lillian August had yet to post any prominent notice of the new store as of Monday on its own website or Facebook page.
Lillian August co-owner John Weiss could not be reached Monday for comment. The company did not respond to a message left on its SoNo Collection voicemail. Last June, Weiss registered a limited liability company with the state called SoNo Home Store that lists The SoNo Collection’s address in South Norwalk.
Lillian August shuttered its headquarters showroom last year on Knight Street in Norwalk amid one of the best markets for furniture retailers in years, as Connecticut’s real estate market boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The year before, Lillian August vacated a warehouse outlet in Stamford’s South End. Its landlord has since filed suit for nonpayment of rent and other expenses, totaling $2.2 million, according to an affidavit filed this month in Connecticut Superior Court.
Lillian August is arguing more than a dozen “special defenses” in court documents, including the forced closure of stores at the outset of the pandemic should render the lease void and unenforceable.
Appliance manufacturer Haier subsequently took a lease for space in the 49 John St. building, followed by HermanKnoll subsidiary Design Within Reach under a 10-year lease, according to court documents.
With monthly U.S. furniture sales hitting a record $10.5 billion in January 2020 prior to mass store closures to limit transmission of COVID, sales have eclipsed that mark every month since August that year. In March, sales reached a new high of $12.86 billion, with inflation likely a contributor.
Lillian August has kept its website active that allows people to shop online.
The SoNo Collection’s developer and manager Brookfield Properties has attracted several furnishings and decor brands at the mall, including Arhaus, Artee Home, EQ3 and H&M Home; and mattress retailers Casper and Tempur-pedic.
Other major retailers with showrooms on nearby Connecticut Avenue include Ashley HomeStore, Bob’s Discount Furniture and Raymour & Flanigan.
And Safavieh has a big store in the heart of South Norwalk, a few blocks from a former Lillian August outlet that was converted last year into MSquash. Other nearby boutique shops include Chloe Winston Lighting Design.