Davies-Reid, the purveyors of "tribal arts" famous for carrying Afghan rugs, opened a store in the Silver Mountain Sports Club building at Kimball Junction in 2008. About a year later the company opened a second, much smaller, location at 312 Main Street formerly a real estate office.
Midway through the new store’s second winter, manager Cathy Newbern, said the strategy to attract people on Main Street and send them to see rugs at the Junction has been successful.
The Junction store is a sprawling location filled with large stacks of the giant rugs handmade in Central Asia with organic materials along with furniture and home décor. Newbern said it was difficult to attract visitors to the Junction, so a satellite location was opened in November of 2009.
The plan was to take advantage of the foot traffic on Main Street to draw people in with an assortment of items including jewelry, smaller Navajo rugs and contemporary décor pieces. When people fell in love with what Davies-Reid offered, they could then be escorted to the Junction store, which is now open by appointment-only, to see the higher-end pieces.
"It’s been great for us. We’re very happy here," Newbern said. "Our first year was very successful we have something for everybody."
With five locations in the Western United States including Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Ketchum, Idaho, Davies-Reid has developed a loyal fan base among leisure travelers, she said. People often stumble upon the Main Street store and tell Newbern they’re familiar with the other locations. Some of them even collect Afghan rugs from Davies-Reid and are interested in seeing what’s at the Kimball Junction gallery, she added.