Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 19, 2009
Yves Delorme offers fine linens, accessories in Warehouse Row
Samara Litvack
When Warehouse Row was opening as an outlet mall, a small, fine linen store called Yves Delorme moved in. The company, which began making linens in the 1860s, moved into the Chattanooga complex in 1980, carrying linens for bath, bed and table, as well as soaps, lotions, candles and room sprays.
“It’s a whole lifestyle kind of thing,” says store manager Annette Merchant.
Internationally, family-owned Yves Delorme has a reputation of using the finest methods of production. One trip through the store and the quality of merchandise is undeniable. Linen pajamas, satin kimonos and plush bathrobes line one wall; mohair blankets and embroidered pillows fill shelves on the opposite side of the store.
In the back, full beds are made with rich, colorful linens, accented with dark walnut breakfast trays and offset with feminine, eyelet nightgowns. Worm-holed, wicker chairs surround a table, atop which sits an assortment of candelabras and bright, spring flowers.
But most notable are the luxurious fabrics and interesting patterns that fill the spaces between. Linens for bedroom, bath and kitchen are embroidered with large floral patterns, peacock feather designs, butterflies and ferns.
Merchant explains that Yves Delorme’s designer works from a quaint French cottage and produces fresh, signature designs year after year.
“Some years she’ll be really influenced, maybe by Asian,” says Merchant. “There (are) a lot of historical references too. She’s used patterns that have been a backdrop for Russian ballets and then she had a pattern that was based on Monet, a garden watercolor.
“She does a lot of recurring patterns as we always use the same dye lots every year. Some years have been kind of masculine and dark, but this year we’ve had a lot of bigger prints.”
While Yves Delorme makes the majority of its own inventory, top designers’ works, such as Pierre Frey and Kenzo, are also available for purchase. The store also carries Abyss & Habidecor Rugs, made in Portugal, and Oliver DesForges, a less expensive, trendier line started by one of the Delorme children.
“We do our own table linen line, our own towels and the down is actually made by Brinkhaus Down, but it’s our label,” says Merchant. “It’s got a lot of heritage and history and it’s high quality.”
By “high quality,” Merchant refers specifically to the cotton, the design, the superiority of the fibers and dyes. Yves Delorme uses only 100 percent Egyptian cotton, which is widely acknowledged as the best quality, longest-staple cotton in the world.
The beauty of Yves Delorme’s Warehouse Row location is that the store sells discontinued merchandise and lines from previous years, and it is most often available at a discounted price.
“We use a lot of repeating patterns and then we always use the same dye lots, so you can mix in something,” says Merchant. “If you get a duvet cover (on sale) for $58, you might have to spend $300 on the sheets, but they will be of the same color scheme.”
These marked down prices may be one thing that has helped Chattanooga’s Yves Delorme stay afloat in the current economic slowdown, but Merchant says there are many other contributing factors.
“We have a lot of local customers to thank,” she says. “We also have a lot of phone customers.
“We have a lot of people that stop on their way to Florida every year, and on their way home. We’re in a great spot for Atlanta and Knoxville and Huntsville. We owe a lot to them.”
Today, the face of Warehouse Row is completely different than it was when Yves Delorme moved in almost 30 years ago. The outlet stores have all since moved out and new boutique stores are on their way in.
“I’m really excited because we already share a lot of the same customers,” says Merchant. “If women are out of town and their husbands are in a meeting or they came here to take somebody out to lunch … they’ve got money and they want to shop and I think it’ll be good for everybody.”
Yves Delorme’s neighbors will soon include Embellish, a shoe and handbag boutique; Revival, an antique and luxury gift store, which will include a design studio upstairs; and Amanda Pinson Jewelers, which will be next door.
“It’s really great to see something happening,” says Merchant.
“There’s room for lots of neat shops to be here because people, 20 years ago they weren’t living right around the corner and down the street. Now, people are living there. When friends come to town or whatever, it’s nice not to have to drive out to the mall or across the river.”
Yves Delorme’s biggest sale of the year is coming up on Bastille Day, July 14. In honor of its French heritage, the store will have wine and cheese and all its regular retail merchandise will be 20 percent off.
For more information on Yves Delorme, visit them at Warehouse Row or online at www.yvesdelorme.com.
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