The Royal Standard is nearing completion of a months-long overhaul at its original location at the base of the Perkins Roads Overpass.
The roughly $400,000 project includes the addition of 2,000 square feet of new retail space at the rear of the building, as well as an interior renovation to the existing 6,000-square-foot furniture, accessory and gift store.
“We’ve been here 20 years and this is long overdue,” says Mark Peirce, who co-owns The Royal Standard with his wife, Krista. “It’s just an update and a facelift … something new and improved.”
The addition to the building is expected to be completed later this week. The interior renovation, which will include new painting and flooring, will continue in two phases over the next few weeks and should be completed in early October. The store will remain open while the work is underway.
The expansion of The Royal Standard’s original location is the latest of several for the growing company, which has five stores in Louisiana, Texas and Alabama and a booming wholesale business that supplies private label gifts, clothes and accessories to some 4,000 retailers nationwide.
After the August 2016 flood, the Peirces expanded their location on Perkins Road, turning warehouse space into a café. The Crown Bistro now serves lunch and hosts special events, including an upcoming wedding.
The company’s Lafayette and Gulf Shores stores are next on the list for a renovation and expansion. With the rise of e-commerce, Mark Peirce says it’s critical that retailers offer shoppers something more than just merchandise on a shelf.
“Our goal is simple: we’ve got to do something to get you in,” he says. “A pure transaction is online now. So we’ve got to create a shopping experience, a meeting and visiting place that happens to sell stuff.”
