Popular home furnishings retailer expanding on Main Street in Bethlehem
Those looking to spruce up their homes soon will have more ideas in store when Domaci expands its retail footprint in Center City Bethlehem.
Domaci, which means “Home” in Czech, is owned by Warren and Derrick Clark, of Bethlehem. The pair opened their first brick-and-mortar store along Main Street in 2016 — a year after launching an e-commerce operation in 2015. By January 2018, they initially opened a larger location at 21 E. Third St. before shuttering it in summer 2020.
In December 2020, the pair returned to their downtown roots, utilizing renovated space at the Myers Building for the 300-square-foot Domaci Market and 300-square-foot Domaci Design Studio at 523 Main St. The Clarks additionally launched the “Domaci Flea” collection, an assortment of whimsical, vintage-inspired, and handmade home goods — at Plants + Vintage. The collaboration with Steel City Plant Co. is on the second floor of the historic Woolworth building, 551 Main St. in Suite 205.
Now, in their latest business endeavor, the Clarks are launching a new “pop-up” store with a twist.
“Domaci Home Pop-Up,” 521 Main St., will sit directly next to the two existing Domaci businesses at 523 Main St. The pop-up is being used as a sneak peak for what is later slated to become an estimated 1,500-square-foot “Domaci Home” store. Domaci Home will be an expansion of Domaci Market and Domaci Design Studio.
Derrick Clark told lehighvalleylive.com the vision is to keep the two existing stores under the Domaci umbrella with Domaci Design Studio becoming part of the new Domaci Home concept. The site of the future Domaci Home previously housed Designer Consigner, which earlier this year moved to another location along West Broad Street in the Christmas City.
Shopping fun at Domaci Home Pop-Up begins with a preview night from 5 to 11 p.m. March 11 for MYdomaci Rewards members. Members will receive special sales, entertainment, giveaways and refreshments, as well as the first opportunity to shop “last chance” floor models. Everyone else is invited to shop the “pop-up,” on March 12-13 with more entertainment, giveaways, sips and snacks, as well as shopping.
Domaci Home Pop-Up is expected to continue to be open throughout the spring. Then, the grand opening of Domaci Home is slated to kick-off sometime in late spring to early summer.
Warren Clark said the expanded site will allow the owners to show a greater selection of furniture and home decor to patrons.
“While we have always had — and will continue to have — a multitude of additional options for our guests to shop online, we appreciate the importance of being able to see and feel some key pieces in person, and this will provide that opportunity,” he said.
Derrick Clark said more retailers need to find a better balance between online and brick-and-mortar shopping.
“It’s not that one is more important than the other,” he told lehighvalleylive.com. “Because our retail concepts usually have limited square footage, we often use our website as an extension of our showroom spaces, allowing us to expand our offerings outside of our four walls and create a fun and rewarding shopping experience for our guests.”
“Likewise, we’re able to reach potential customers both regionally and across the country who we otherwise wouldn’t be able to serve,” Derrick Clark added.
Domaci Market is described by the Clarks as a “modern day general store.” It offers tabletop, dinnerware and a growing selection of gourmet foods, as well as personal care items, greeting cards, home accents, wall art and decorative decor. Prices range anywhere from a few dollars for a greeting card to thousands for furniture pieces.
Domaci Home Design offers a different take on the furniture shopping experience, offering quality home furnishings and professional design services, Derrick Clark said. Think anything from a team helping with color scheme choices to creating gallery walls to deciding on simple room refreshes to embarking on larger, refurbishing projects. Guests typically start the process online with the studio’s website and virtual showroom, and then extend that experience to the design studio or into their homes with Domaci’s in-home design services.
Aside from the current four business ventures, the Clarks additionally in 2019 partnered with co-owner Rebecca Additington, to open Ville & Rue by Domaci at 101 NQ in downtown Lancaster. In 2020, they joined the 24,000-square-foot Riverport Market, 17 W. Second St. in South Bethlehem.
The pair has since stepped away, however, from those endeavors to focus on the Main Street Bethlehem sites.
Domaci Home Pop-Up & Domaci Design Studio; and Domaci Market will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; and closed Tuesday.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at [email protected].