Urban Outfitters' garden store opens

Terrain at Styer’s, Urban Outfitters’ first garden retail venue, opened for business in late April, taking over the former J. Franklin Styer Nursery in Concordville, Pa. The store has 3,000 square feet of plants under glass, 8,000 square feet devoted to home decor, 3 acres of gardens and a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse cafe.

According to a statement, Terrain aims “to transform the local garden center into an experience that celebrates the beauty and abundance of nature while offering an eclectic mix of garden-inspired products tailored for the contemporary customer.”

“We’re bringing fashion outside the home” said John Kinsella, Terrain’s managing director.

Large artifacts and found objects are scattered throughout the nursery. A hand-carved stone bathtub from Indonesia and 300-year-old wooden doors from India are among the conversation pieces.

Dave Williams, owner of Williams Nursery in Westfield, N.J., visited Terrain soon after it opened. “It definitely had that wow factor,” he said.

Williams also spoke highly of the store’s merchandising and ambiance.

“It was definitely at a higher level than what you see at other stores. It was kind of like they watched what the industry was doing and pulled the right pieces together,” he said.

Urban Outfitters plans to expand its Terrain concept by taking over established garden centers throughout the United States. No word yet on what its next acquisition might be. Urban Outfitters also operates the hip clothing stores Free People and Anthropologie.

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For more: Terrain at Styer’s, (610) 459-2400; www.terrainathome.com.

August 2008