Furniture Today,
CHICAGO — Walter E. Smithe Furniture officially will launch a replacement store next week in the Vernon Hills area here.


The grand opening of the 40,000-square-foot store at 280 S. Milwaukee Avenue, which replaces a 5,000-square-foot Townline Mall location, will feature a visit from Candice Olson on April 26 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Olson, interior designer and host of HGTV’s “Divine Design,” will make a free presentation that will touch on her trademark decorating ideas from her TV show, and showcase her line of upholstery. Afterwards, she will sign copies of her new book: “Candice Olson on Design: Inspiration & Ideas for Your Home.”

Walter E. Smithe, a 13-store Top 100 company, had estimated sales of $100.3 million in 2013, up from $99.1 million the year before.

In a release, the third-generation retailer, which is celebrating 62 years in business, said the relocation from Townline Mall to South Milwaukee Avenue is “one of many strategic moves to capture additional square footage and expand on the Smithe footprint of custom-made home furnishings.”

The company said it is a market leader in custom-made upholstery and leather furniture, with over 5,000 fabrics and leathers, and 2,000 styles, to choose from, including newly added lines Henredon, Marge Carson and Copeland Furniture’s Frank Lloyd Wright collection.

The Vernon Hills store is among the first of hundreds of stores in the United States and Canada to feature Norwalk’s Candice Olson Collection in its entirety. Each classic contemporary frame is accented with such signature touches as dressmaker details. The line includes a headboard, five sofas, two dining chairs, two ottomans and four occasional chairs.