A rendering of the planned restaurant/showroom. (Courtesy Txtur)
A Southwest Virginia furniture maker is bringing a new sort of hospitality concept to a red-hot stretch of Manchester. Chinese Dining Chairs
Roanoke-based Txtur has leased the former Seaboard train depot at 604 Hull St., where it’s planning to open a furniture showroom as well as Stock Café & Bar.
Txtur is a division of 88-year-old furniture manufacturer Chervan, which primarily sells to commercial clients like banks, hotels and senior living facilities. In 2020 the company debuted the Txtur brand to cater to everyday consumers.
Amber Horton, a Txtur spokeswoman, said the brand’s main differentiator is that its furniture is fully customizable.
“You can choose the fabric or the leather, the wood species, the color of the wood species, the frame and the stain and all that as well, and we even get into dimension work,” Horton said. “Custom, made-to-order furniture is really our claim to fame.”
Both Txtur’s and Chervan’s furniture is made from scratch at their plant in southeastern Roanoke. When pandemic-induced supply chain strains stretched many large furniture manufacturers’ lead times to over a year, Txtur was able to keep its order turnaround at about six weeks.
That quickness helped Txtur grow quickly, and by 2021 it had lined up a deal to take over an historic firehouse in downtown Roanoke.
Stock Café & Bar is planned to include a full food and drinks menu.
Fire Station One now houses not only a furniture showroom, but also a seven-room boutique hotel and restaurant, all of which Txtur operates.
“It’s a three-pronged approach to try to connect with people in the community and offer them a unique experience,” Horton said.
Txtur is now bringing a variation of that concept to Richmond, minus the hotel.
Txtur and Stock Café & Bar were a vision Chervan and Txtur CEO Greg Terrill had had for years, and Horton said they always saw Richmond as a natural next step for expansion.
“It opens up not only the Richmond market to us, but it gets us a little closer to D.C., Norfolk and the (Tidewater) area as well,” Horton said. “We feel like it’s just a great place for us to go into… We really feel like the audience there will enjoy our furniture. We think that our style really speaks to the area.”
The former train depot at 604 Hull St. is a historical structure in a part of Manchester that’s booming with new development. (Mike Platania photo)
The Richmond location of Stock Café & Bar will serve the Nordic- and Scandinavian-inspired fare it serves in Roanoke.
“The menu has delicious fish dishes, and fresh local ingredients are what we try to source,” Horton said. “It’s a little bit upper scale, but we also do hot dogs and burgers.”
The restaurant will be sectioned off from the showroom, and once the furniture shop closes, Horton said they’ll actually seat restaurant guests on the showroom furniture.
Once the showroom closes, Txtur plans to seat restaurant guests on the shop’s furniture.
“It’s a running joke that we encourage you to drink wine on our sofas, and we do have a lot of white sofas in our showroom,” Horton said. “It’s a testament to (the quality of) the furniture, and how the fabrics are able to withstand use.”
She added that Txtur’s staff is cross-trained, “so somebody that is serving you your wine can also let you know details about a sofa or a chair you’re interested in.”
Txtur looked throughout Richmond for a space, but Horton said the 114-year-old train depot on Hull Street jumped out given its historical significance in a booming area.
“We think it’ll be a perfect place for us to showcase our furniture. It fits with what we did with the fire station (in Roanoke),” Horton said.
They’re leasing the 8,400-square-foot structure from Doug Albertson and Palmer Wilkins. The Wilkins family has owned the Seaboard train depot for decades, and Albertson bought into the property a few years ago. Horton said Albertson and Wilkins are helping with the renovation of the building. Bruce Shirley of Ratio AV is the project architect.
Horton said Txtur is hoping to open in Richmond sometime in the spring or summer.
Mike Platania joined BizSense in December 2016. He covers commercial real estate, restaurants and breweries. He graduated from Virginia Tech. Reach him at [email protected] or (804) 554-6872.
Fantastic use. Welcome to Richmond.
On behalf of LaDIFF, we are thrilled to have another quality furniture store join us south of the James. We’ve been watching Txtur’s growth and we welcome them to Richmond!
Interesting concept, hope it works well here!
Great brand! We are cheering you on!
It is a great brand but boy throw a bar, a kitchen, and some of space / break room for staff in that small building and I just don’t see a LOT of space for much beyond tables and some lounge near the bar.
It’s 8,400 sqft—that’s plenty big for a showroom and a restaurant. The idea of using the showroom as added seating for dinner service is especially creative and I wish them luck! Manchester can easily support another dining option.
The plans look fantastic. Can’t wait to see this in action. To the fine folks at Txtur, a heartfelt welcome to RVA! May you enjoy much success at the Manchester location.
Any new eatery is a welcome addition to Manchester.
“Hon, I was thinking we can grab a bite to eat at the furniture showroom?” Is this really a thing? Perhaps in Roanoke. I know a serious visit to Luis Vuitton gets one a bottle of Moët. Gets hubby to consider her, and the sales Concierge’s affinity for the Steamer over the Neverfull. Perhaps the same works for suede over Naugahyde?
There is an amazing store in Montreal called MUST with a cafe attached. ABC Carpet in NYC has always had a restaurant on the first floor. And then there are always the meatballs at IKEA! Furniture stores with cafes, restaurants, coffee or wine bars a have been a “thing” for decades. It adds to the experience!
I would take this with a grain of salt. Throughout most development articles, you will see that George always adds in negative comments. Examples: “Outback? Panda Express? What is this 1993? A shopping mall food court? A car wash? How uninspired. Congratulations on making a place not worth caring about. There are resons why people travel to Charleston, Savannah, Old Town Alexandria, Annapolis, etc. To escape the banality of their suburban confines. This could be a village, but instead they’ll tear down a forest so fat kids can get drive-through orange chicken”. George, it is upsetting to see negativity around… Read more »
Cheerleaders need only apply? And what say you Mr. Bierce?
A pessimist applied to God for relief. “Ah, you wish me to restore your hope and cheerfulness,” said God. “No,” replied the petitioner, “I wish you to create something that would justify them.” “The world is all created,” said God, “but you have overlooked something—the mortality of the optimist.”
Unlike Capital One Cafe’s I see this as an interesting way to showcase their wares in a different and unique way. If it were Ikea, I’d expect the glassware/plates etc to be sold/shipped as well. Kind of a micro Truman Show where you’re aware prior to entering. Either way it’s a novel concept and it sounds like they’ve had success. La Diff is a great store but we have room in Richmond for more modern furniture options. I also think the choice of locations is iconic and memorable and will do them well. Best of luck!
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