Furniture Mall of Kansas will bring a five-store complex to Olathe at former Benchmark site

A longtime family-owned furniture business, Furniture Mall of Kansas, is planning to resurrect the former Benchmark Home Furnishings building in Olathe.

The Winter family, owner of Furniture Mall of Kansas, currently with stores in Lawrence and Topeka, will enter the Kansas City market next spring with a five-store complex under one roof.

The 160,000-square-foot building, across from the Bass Pro Shops store at Kansas City Road and Renner Boulevard, is being renovated to house five stores: RoomMakers, Discovery Furniture, Marling’s Furniture, Mattress Headquarters and Abbey Flooring Headquarters.

The Winters said the Olathe store would open with existing employees from the Lawrence location and hire an additional 120 team members from the Kansas City area. Look for hiring information for the new store at www.furnituremallofkansas.com.

The Winters also said Friday that in connection with opening the Olathe location, they would close the Lawrence store in January.

“This was a big decision for us, as the people of Lawrence have embraced us since opening in 2010,” said co-owner Jamie Winter. “Our guests have made it clear that selection is very important, and the Lawrence location only has room for three of our five stores with much less selection. We hope our Lawrence customers will appreciate the expanded selection and continue to support us in Olathe and Topeka.”

Jeff Winter, co-owner of the company, said the new format in Olathe will make it “easy to narrow down the big selection by having five distinct stores that offer a good, better and best option, depending on the budget and needs of our guests.”

The project, labeled Win LLC, is scheduled to go before the Olathe City Council on Oct. 7, seeking industrial revenue bond authorization for a $3.6 million tax exemption on construction materials and labor.

The Winter family has owned and operated furniture stores since 1933. The Winters described their retail grouping as offering “big box selection with the feel and experience of a small family store.”

The Winters said their 81 years of experience in the furniture industry will make it possible for them to compete with Nebraska Furniture Mart, Ikea and other furniture retailers. They also credited their furniture buying co-op, which they said gives them a buying power of more than $1 billion.

Benchmark at one time was among the nation’s largest furniture stores but went out of business about eight years ago.

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Furniture Mall of Kansas will bring a five-store complex to Olathe at former Benchmark site."