Audio Video Systems (AVS), the Plainview, N.Y.-based custom integrator, is providing networking solutions and premium A/V products to Pirch’s Big Apple patrons.
For those unfamiliar, Pirch is a nine-store luxury kitchen, bath and appliance chain co-founded eight years ago by former homebuilder supplier and outdoor grill merchant Jeffrey Sears and his partner Jim Stuart.
Together they have created a splash, often literally, within the appliance, decorator and retail channels with their high-touch experiential showrooms, which feature live vignettes, full-time chefs, working showerheads and demo commodes in restrooms.
Their newest location formally opened May 21 in Manhattan’s trendy SoHo district, where AVS is lending a hand on the CE side.
“Its retail concept is nothing NYC has ever seen before,” observed industry veteran Franklin Karp, COO of AVS, and onetime head of former Manhattan A/V specialty mainstay Harvey Electronics. “Potential customers will be invited to test the pricey showers, soak in super expensive tubs and cook in lavish, custom-made kitchens. Major personalities, as well as customers who want the ultimate in luxury, have been signing up to experience the possible $100,000 makeovers.”
To the party AVS is bringing Sonance speakers, Lutron lighting and shades, Savant control systems, Leon media decor and Seura outdoor television viewing, as well as the services to install and control them.
AVS’s handiwork will be on display within the Connected Loft, a functioning loft showroom space with kitchen, bath, living area and attached conference room, representing a first-time effort for Pirch.
The Pirch-Karp partnership continues a chain-wide relationship with Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA), a buying group for custom integrators that Pirch has named a Synergy Partner. Besides AVS, other HTSA members providing tech services to Pirch customers include Barrett’s Technology Solutions, at Pirch’s Oakbrook, Ill., store; Audio Visions, for Pirch locations in California; and Dallas Sight and Sound, for a forthcoming Pirch store in Austin, Texas.
“AVS is the perfect strategic partner in this revolutionary retail concept because we specialize in the integration of all custom systems and control technologies throughout the home,” Karp continued. “Complementing the Pirch retail concept, AVS will provide the customer with hands-on experience that will include intuitive and seamless controls at the press of a button.”
The new SoHo store, located at 200 Lafayette Street, stands three stories tall and provides 37,000 square feet of showroom, storage and back office space.
