Reno furniture center sitting pretty

Two prominent Reno furniture stores are gearing up to move operations to South Meadows in the near future.

Ethan Allen Interiors and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries plan to occupy the Sierra Homes Center, a new furniture center, sometime late this year or in early 2005.

The center at 9095 S.

Virginia St., is currently being developed by Krump Construction and owned by Baxter Properties, LLC A third furniture company, Bassett Furniture Direct, is also expected to join them at a later date.

Jeanne Baxter, president of Baxter Enterprises Inc., which operates Reno's Ethan Allen store, had long planned to move the company from its location on Kietzke Lane.

The store, opened 27 years ago by Baxter's late husband, Jack Simon, had limited space to showcase an expanding Ethan Allen product line.

Baxter purchased the piece of land in the South Meadows with the intention of a developing home furnishing store complex.

One of her first moves was to offer a parcel of the property to Reno La-Z-Boy owner Don Gruner, who jumped at the offer.

He had been looking for a new location for La-Z-Boy because his store on Moana Lane wasn't large enough to support more products.

The complex has approximately 90,000 square feet of space, about half of that being devoted to retail space.

The new complex gives Ethan Allen and La-Z-Boy the chance to showcase their "new generation" stores, which calls for an expanded retail floor plan and wider selection of furniture products.

Gruner says the galleries won't necessarily be jostling for customers because Ethan Allen markets furniture products that his store doesn't have.

La-Z-Boy, best known for its recliners, carries mostly family and dining room furniture.

Meanwhile, Ethan Allen offers other amenities such as bedroom, bathroom, home office and outdoor furniture.

"It's going to be a good mix of stores," Gruner said.

I think we'll compliment each other very well."