Elm & Iron to open second store in OTR

Elm & Iron, a Columbus-based home decor and furniture store, opened its first Cincinnati store in May.

And now, business has been so good that the company signed a lease Wednesday to open a second store in a 5,000-square-foot space across the street at 1411 Vine Street.

The new store, which will be called Elm & Iron Loft, is tentatively scheduled to open June 1.

"The Cincinnati customer has been good to us," Elm & Iron owner Dan McClurg told The Enquirer. "We have outgrown our current space already. We have so much inventory that we can't fit it in the space."

The new three-story building, which used to house The Brandery, will offer customers more furniture, while the existing store will focus on home decor and accessories.

McClurg said one of the main reasons he wanted to expand was so the business could offer more furnishing, especially from lines that aren't currently offered.

"Right now when you come to Elm & Iron, you can buy a unique piece, but you can't furnish your whole home," he said. "Now we will be able to offer more pieces. I still don't think customers will be able to furnish their whole home, but there will be a lot bigger selection."

The current store at 1326 Vine Street will still offer some furniture – and the other way around. Elm & Iron Loft will sell some home decor and accessories. But for the most part, the selections will be different.

McClurg first opened Elm & Iron in Columbus in October 2012. He signed a lease for an old service station in the Clintonville community because he liked the building, unsure of how it would be utilized.

He had always wanted to learn retail, and he wanted a challenge. So, he decided to open a furniture store.

At the time, it was a side business for McClurg, who owns two other businesses – a painting company and a commercial and residential property business. He had no idea how successful the endeavor would be.

"It turned into so much more than a hobby," he said.

In three years, the business has done well. McClurg opened a second store – a warehouse – in Columbus and then the store in Over-the-Rhine. The Cincinnati store is very busy, with sales outpacing the Columbus location.

The new building is owned by OTR Holdings Inc., according to the Hamilton County Auditor's Office. OTR Holdings is the legal entity Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) created for its property acquisitions.

The space is currently home to some pop-up shops through January. Once those shops move out, McClurg said there isn't a lot to do. 3CDC will refinish the floors. After that, McClurg will paint the walls and start building inventory.

What's next after that? We'll see. McClurg is opening a third Columbus store in September, which will be 8,000 square feet. And maybe someday, he'll expand out of state.

"It's kind of funny because everything is going so fast," McClurg said. "Once we have the store opened here, maybe we'll think about opening a store at the new Liberty Center."