Retail Stars: Leaders in Lighting

Lighting showrooms are nicely represented on Dwelling Accents Immediately‘s 2025 Retail Stars record. Right here’s what makes them standouts:

Alcott and Bentley, Louisville, Ky.

An establishment in Louisville, Ky. since 1979, Alcott & Bentley, owned by John and Allyson Mokhtarei, took the chance to rebuild a memorable showroom full with lighting, house accents and décor after the unique retailer burned to the bottom in 2006. Positioned in Louisville’s historic Highlands buying district, the Mokhtareis stated they do enterprise “the old school manner” by incomes the belief and respect of their clients and cultivating relationships that final a lifetime. Though Louisville’s buyer base leans towards a standard design aesthetic, designers right here say they know find out how to push the envelope by recurrently altering out shows and choosing art work, equipment and accent furnishings to enhance the newest lighting developments. The corporate’s designers additionally enchantment to present and would-be clients by way of the showroom weblog, a group of deep dives into latest initiatives and academic articles that showcase the workers’s ability and breadth of business data. —Anne Flynn Put on

Dominion Lighting, Arlington, Va.

Dominion Lighting, with its flagship retailer in Arlington, Va., has undergone fairly the transformation previously 5 years. The lighting retailer, which has a second location in Chantilly, Va., has up to date its retailer merchandising and method, streamlining choice and including know-how to facilitate buyer engagement and training. Along with stellar buyer expertise, Dominion helps native artists, in addition to offering social house for occasions. The pre-COVID modifications made to the Arlington location had been prolonged to Chantilly a number of years in the past, garnering Dominion a number of awards. The corporate has received a number of Lightovation Showroom of the 12 months Awards in addition to an ARTS award for lighting retail in 2024. Because the retailer has not too long ago turn into a division of Border State, the skilled workers continues to pivot towards a service-based mannequin, providing fee-based enhanced design session, documentation and visualization instruments. Dominion Lighting is forward of the curve because it focuses on its goal to promote partnership, inspiration and belief fairly than simply product. —Diane Falvey

Elan Studio Lighting, Metairie, La.

Elan Studio Lighting brings its lighting and design experience to Metairie, La., and past with a brick-and-mortar location and on-line retailer, each of which provide an intensive assortment of high quality lighting. The retailer additionally offers specialists who can clarify know-how wants in addition to design significance.

Whereas lighting is that this showroom’s focus, its connection to Elan Design Studio, based by Heather Somers, offers interior design companies, giving this lighting retailer an edge for patrons trying to deliver skilled design to their properties. Somers’s method to design combines creativity, consideration to element and a deep understanding of her shoppers’ wants, one thing the lighting retailer focuses on as nicely.

With an academic weblog platform designed to assist potential clients higher perceive lighting and its significance in design, in addition to devoted lighting specialists to increase on that data, Elan Studio Lighting elevates lighting retail and offers a data middle for its clientele. —DF

Georgia Lighting, Sugarhill, Ga.

Frank Therrien took an opportunity in December 2020 when he opened Georgia Lighting in Sugarhill, Ga., on the top of the COVID pandemic. The gamble paid off, and Georgia Lighting has greater than doubled its income since opening, has received two Showroom of the 12 months Awards, and has been a finalist within the ARTS Awards.

Honoring the legacy of the unique Georgia Lighting, which closed in 2006, Therrien’s Georgia Lighting focuses on a dynamic environment and an intensive collection of lighting and residential furnishings, balancing the newest design developments with conventional tastes.

In a seamless effort to wow its clientele, Georgia Lighting pays shut consideration to the way it handles its company — particularly in-store clients. Therrien has applied a three-tier low cost program to drive clients to higher-margin suppliers — Highlight Producers — by providing low cost ranges, offering important financial savings to in-store clients. Therrien can be working to spotlight his showroom’s complete pre-tariff stock to increase financial savings for Georgia Lighting’s buyer base. —DF

Light and Day, Frederick and Ellicott Metropolis, Md.

Mild & Day is a regionally owned and operated full-service lighting retail showroom with two areas — Frederick and Ellicott Metropolis, Md. This family-owned retailer has established itself as a frontrunner in lighting design and implementation by specializing in the wants of its clients. The shop’s representatives are educated and may help in all lighting initiatives, the corporate says. The Frederick retailer opened its doorways in 2008 and following that retailer’s success, the Ellicott Metropolis location was added. Additionally showcasing its success, Mild & Day was honored with an ARTS Award nomination for Lighting Showroom East/Atlantic Area.

Each retail showrooms show merchandise from greater than 60 leaders within the lighting business, that includes such manufacturers as Hudson Valley, Visible Consolation, Kichler, Artcraft, Hinkley, Hubbardton Forge, Elk Lighting and extra. Mild & Day’s purpose is to ship the correct high quality merchandise at reasonably priced costs to its clients. —DF

Lightopia, Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.

Lightopia has been a fixture in Southern California since 2006, opening its first showroom in Laguna Seaside, sharing that locale’s appreciation of high-quality artwork, structure and sustainable residing. The lighting retailer rapidly grew to become concerned in design initiatives all through Orange County and Los Angeles. It added an internet site two years later, increasing its attain. In 2016, Lightopia moved into its present, bigger location within the Southern California Design Middle of Costa Mesa.

This lighting showroom has thrived by assembly its clients the place they’re and offering the experience wanted for these clients to unravel their architectural and ornamental lighting wants. The “Concepts” part on its web site, for instance, showcases simply digestible info for all kinds of lighting purposes.

Acquired by house décor group Elevated Manufacturers in 2022, Lightopia continues to serve its group with an exemplary lighting choice. In 2024, the lighting retailer was honored with an ARTS Award for Lighting Showroom within the West. —DF

Lightology, Chicago

Lightology, a standout lighting retailer based in 2001 in Chicago’s design-centric River North neighborhood, has received a number of awards throughout its tenure, showcasing it as a premier vacation spot for contemporary lighting, business lighting and residential décor. With three tales of awe-inspired designs and art work from across the globe, this ever-evolving lighting showroom is designed to serve the specialty wants of architects, designers, contractors, commerce professionals and householders, supported by accredited associates and a lighting studying middle. Encased in glass, the 20,000-square-foot showroom flows round a central atrium and options catwalks full of interactive options and high-end fixtures, creating a singular expertise for its company.

About these awards … Whereas Lightology’s showroom awards date again to its early days, most not too long ago the lighting retailer has received consecutive ARTS awards in 2024 and 2025, together with an ASID Design Excellence Award and a number of Showroom of the 12 months awards for excellent merchandising. —DF

Metro Lighting, St. Louis, Mo.

With near 50 years in enterprise, Metro Lighting started as Metro Electrical Provide, after buying St. Louis Electrical Provide from its unique homeowners. In 1978, the brand new homeowners bought {an electrical} distributor that additionally housed a 2,500-square-foot lighting showroom, and the corporate grew to become Metro Lighting. From there, development was swift, and by 2011, Metro Lighting had 9 areas within the larger St. Louis, Mo., space, and was successful awards, reminiscent of Power Star Excellence in Retailing and ARTS Awards.

In 2021, Metro Lighting was offered to Graybar Electrical, preserving the lighting retailer firmly rooted in St. Louis, the place the corporate maintains six areas. Metro continues to face out regionally and past with its dedication to the atmosphere, guaranteeing its workers is well-versed in power environment friendly lighting and controls. In consequence, Metro Lighting has been honored with an Power Star Accomplice of the 12 months Award – Local weather Communicator — DF

Magnolia Lighting, Mississippi

Household-owned since 1984, Magnolia Lighting has developed from its begin as a lighting and electrical provide enterprise right into a four-store retailer that spans the northern half of Mississippi and attracts from the Memphis, Tenn., and japanese Arkansas markets with its assortment of lighting and residential décor. Lamps and art work are the best-selling classes within the latter. A winner of a 2025 ARTS Award for lighting showrooms within the East/Atlantic area, Magnolia Lighting has constructed its enterprise on new development exercise within the space, however it has diversified its assortment and tries to focus on new householders who come for lighting however hopefully return for house accents, in response to firm principal Pam Whitfield. – Allison Zisko

Extremely Design Middle, Denver

Household-owned Extremely Design Middle began out as a door and cupboard {hardware} firm serving largely builders and designers. When it entered the lighting class in 2019, the enterprise approached it as a clean slate that might be offered compellingly with devoted and dedicated salespeople, in response to managing associate Kevin Castelo. The Denver-based lighting showroom, which carries manufacturers reminiscent of Allegri, Allora, Kuzco, Eurofase, Currey & Co., David Trubridge and Visible Consolation, amongst many others, obtained a retail ARTS Award in January for its efforts.

It’s presently engaged on constructing a brand new 3,000 square-foot house devoted to wellness merchandise reminiscent of the primary solar-powered sauna within the U.S., along with steam and chilly plunge.  “So far as I can inform, there isn’t something like this within the U.S., which is able to make this showroom a real vacation spot for Colorado and past,” Castelo stated. – AZ