The building at 1895 Fowler St. in Richland has been quiet since Ennis Fine Furniture sold it in July 2024, but it won’t be for long.

La-Z-Boy Inc., which bought the 21,651-square-foot building for $3.5 million, is getting ready to open its doors. 

In December, the city of Richland issued a $1.1 million building permit to the furniture company known for its recliners. Plans include an interior remodel with new walls, plumbing and mechanical work. 

Frank Neal, La-Z-Boy’s director of stores for the western United States and Canada, said the company will open a full-line furniture store in early April. 

The Tri-Cities store will look a lot like the one in Spokane, Neal said. In fact, the closeness of Spokane is one reason La-Z-Boy will be opening in the Tri-Cities. 

“It’s a natural progression to start expanding close to another store like Spokane,” he said. He added that it helps the company to maintain a consistent level of service.

In early March the Richland store will be loaded with inventory delivered from Spokane. A few weeks later, La-Z-Boy will have a soft opening before its grand opening in April. 

Hiring will start earlier than that, likely in a couple of weeks, Neal said. 

La-Z-Boy projects hiring 10 to 12 people to run the store, which will have about 40 vignettes of furniture and between 90 and 110 different chairs. 

Many people don’t realize that La-Z-Boy, known for its recliners, also offers sofas, sectionals and dining groups, Neal said.  

“Sometimes customers just think of us as a chair store, right? ... I think people are surprised about how contemporary we can look at times,” he said.

La-Z-Boy also offers in-home design service, where a designer will go to a client’s home to “solve for their spaces.”

Many customers often don’t know where to start when they come into the store, Neal said, so the in-home design service helps with “making sure everything goes together and fits in the room and space planning and coordination.”

“We really want to be part of this community and do whatever we can to provide a high level of service,” he said. “We can improve some people’s lives when we get there through offering extreme comfort and some design to go with it.”