Ethan Allen plans March opening on Perkins Road

After nearly 40 years near Cortana Mall on Florida Boulevard, the Ethan Allen Design Center is moving to 10300 Perkins Road, the former location of Young Fashions Uniform Outfitters. Todd Grand, the franchisee of Ethan Allen, says an official opening on Perkins Road—across from Perkins Rowe—is expected in the first half of March. The building has undergone an extensive renovation for Ethan Allen, Grand says. “We feel that it will be something that you won’t see anywhere else in Baton Rouge, and it will be truly state of the art,” he adds. Ethan Allen will hire up to 50% more employees, Grand says, in anticipation of increased sales in the retail-intensive corridor. “That’s a dynamite location that’s right in the heart of our demographic,” Grand says. Ethan Allen has been located on Florida Boulevard since 1974. A retailer reportedly has a verbal agreement to move into the Grand family-owned building on Florida Boulevard and could be revealed in coming weeks, Grand says. The new building, at 55,000 square feet, will be much larger than the old building. The extra space, Grand says, will be utilized for more efficient displays of merchandise in the Ethan Allen store. Click here to see a rendering of the store. Young Fashions moved from the Perkins Road location to Coursey Boulevard in September. —Adam Pearson