There are thousands of sleek rental apartments attracting new residents and seasonal snowbirds to South Beach each year, so opening a modern home furnishings shop on busy Lincoln Mall seems an easy strategy for success. With few appealing competitors in the area, CB2 – the hip, affordable offspring of housewares giant Crate & Barrel – offers simply designed furniture for the bedroom, living room and terrace plus easy solutions for dining, home offices and gifts.
The original Crate & Barrel opened in an old Chicago elevator factory in 1962, inspired by a young couple’s fascination with functional European housewares that could be priced low enough for a newlywed’s budget. Utilizing the actual shipping containers for display once their inventory arrived, the loading dock atmosphere was an immediate success. Additional stores spread from Chicago to Boston and finally Manhattan in 1995 when the company attracted the attention of a German investment group that funded a boom in retail venues to more than 170 doors in the US, Canada and Dubai.
CB2 brings a mix of home goods many compare to the Swedish stylings of IKEA to the shores of South Beach. With the nearest IKEA location nearly 30 miles north in Fort Lauderdale, the store is one of very few affordable modern furniture outlets of its kind in town. A nearby location of DWR – Design Within Reach – is Lincoln Mall’s only other edgy furniture option. With just nine CB2 shops in the United States and an expansion to Canada planned later this year, the retailer’s unique mix of bold colors, simple designs and playful styling is ideal for the South Beach lifestyle. 1661 Jefferson Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (305) 672-5155