Howard’s West Los Angeles Experience Center opening at 900 La Brea Boulevard
By Susan Payne
West Los Angeles is home to the newest state-of-the-art luxury appliance experience center located at 900 N. La Brea Boulevard.
Filled with immersive demonstrations, live product vignettes and connectivity displays, Howard’s West Los Angeles Experience Center allows customers and trade professionals to explore active kitchens, laundry suites and the latest premium and high-performance appliance brands.
With Howard’s pioneered success in Long Beach, the West Los Angeles Experience Center is the 15th store to open under its iconic, 76-year-old brand. For West Los Angeles area customers between June 2-5, Howard’s grand opening is offering special pricing, free basic installation of products and 0% interest financing up to 24 months. Delivery is always free.
“Our new West Hollywood location is situated in an exciting retail and lifestyle corridor of the city and in a mixed-use complex. We invite customers from all walks of life to stop in and familiarize themselves with leading-edge product innovations, room exhibits and thrilling technology, while enjoying unparalleled levels of customer service,” said John Riddle, president and CEO of Howard’s since 2019.
Howard’s merges customer experience with the testing of smart appliances through connectivity and the Internet of Things, the biggest change in the appliance industry over the last 30 years, Riddle said. Howard’s is not your typical large appliance store — it’s one of the oldest employee-owned and operated companies in California.
“Home improvement and appliance stores lack capabilities for customers to play and test machines while researching and purchasing new home appliances. Our employees are trained to help you discover the latest technologies and redefine that experience. In our live showrooms, you can see how one washer machine handles clothing over another, or which oven cooks pizza better to your liking, and so much more. Our technology is cutting edge and disruptive,” said Riddle.
West Hollywood’s experience center applies Howard’s Revolutionary Appliance Retail Experience (RARE) that allows customers to enjoy a comfortable, attractive space, and encourages a straightforward, friction-free experience with as much or as little sales interaction as customers desire.
To facilitate RARE, Howard’s has researched and implemented innovative in-store digital technologies that give customers new and creative ways to make purchasing decisions at its superior brick-and-mortar facilities in Southern California.
“Major appliance purchases are like cars. Often times that salesperson will talk you out of the car you came to the lot to purchase. We’ve observed that same technique in the appliance industry, and we set out to change that with RARE by educating, training and coaching employees to listen and embrace the reason you came to our store,” Riddle said.
Since Riddle, a longtime appliance industry expert, joined the board of directors of Howard’s in 2018, he has set out to position Howard’s for growth and expansion through the onset of RARE.
“When you look at purchasing decisions, our engagement process is what sets us apart. Since the pandemic, multigenerational families have been nested together, benefited from emerging and disruptive home technologies and now have time to explore and test those luxurious appliances. We’ve seen a lot of retailers are doing a high percentage of online sales — not because they have a good website — because their process of brick and mortar is poorly done. We want our customers to touch, feel, sense and play with those big ticket items,” Riddle said.
The opening of the West Los Angeles Experience Center is part of an aggressive and strategic expansion effort to reach California markets not yet served by Howard’s. This year, the company is opening an additional five new experience centers in Huntington Beach, Tustin, Agoura Hills, Murietta and Vista, according to a press release.
Current locations are open in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. To learn more about Howard’s or search inventory online, visit www.howards.com.
