Waites designer store closes its doors

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 8/12/2002 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Raymond Waites Interiors, the retail designer store opened by home furnishings designer Raymond Waites in June 2001, has closed its doors.

The 2,000-sq. ft. store, on 10th Street in Greenwich Village here, was designed to be a showcase of Waites' designs. It catered primarily to the interior design trade as well as consumers shopping the highly concentrated neighborhood of antique shops.

"After the licensees meeting several weeks ago, we felt there was so much more demand on Raymond's time that he could not give the store the personal attention it needed," explained Michael Vidra, Waites' partner and executive vp of Raymond Waites Designs.

"We decided to focus our efforts on where our business is and is growing."

Waites added, "While I loved the idea of bringing my work to a wider audience, we've had such explosive growth in licensing that I have to concentrate on that."

Raymond Waites Designs has added Enchante as a licensee for storage boxes, lining paper, cosmetic bags, tote bags and a full line of stationery. The company also has licensed Anjou of Bangladesh for fine bone china.