by Kathryn Maese

The furniture business seems to be doing well these days. Very well. Just ask Rich Reams and partner Ron Senger. The owners of Downtown’s first modern furniture store, Loft Appeal, are in serious expansion mode.

Reams said he plans to debut Loft Appeal East, his second furniture venture, in the Arts District. The sprawling, 14,000-square-foot store will be double the size of his original location on Hill and Ninth streets in South Park.


Located in the Barker Block, which is being developed by Kor Group as a 297-unit loft community, Loft Appeal East is set to open by year’s end on the project’s ground floor. It will sell modern loft-style furnishings mixed with a few props obtained from movie studios.

“We plan to do a lot of events in conjunction with our neighbors, which include a gallery, Urth Caffe and Lofty Dog,” he said. “Things are really hopping for us and we are getting more and more people. We try to design how people Downtown live.”

In addition, Reams said he is gearing up to open a warehouse next door at 521 Hewitt St. on Nov. 9. Dubbed Reel Appeal, it will sell items from several major prop houses every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Reams said he is currently in talks to open a smaller store in the Old Bank District near Fourth and Main streets. This marks Loft Appeal’s third year in business Downtown.