Wisteria, the Texas-based home goods retailer, is calling it quits. The news was announced on the company’s Instagram account on Monday—its three stores in Dallas and Houston will be shut down, as well as its catalog and e-commerce business.
“After 19 rewarding years, our journey is coming to an end,” read the post. “From day one, our customers have been at the heart of everything we do, and we have loved nothing more than sharing our globally curated offerings and exclusive designs with you.”
The announcement did not cite a specific reason for the closure, though Wisteria had only recently reopened its doors following COVID shutdowns, and the big picture for brick-and-mortar retailers certainly is a challenging one.
Wisteria was founded in 2001 by the Dallas couple Shannon and Andrew Newsom, who boast an impressive pedigree in the design world. Andrew’s mother, Lisa Newsom, was the founding editor in chief of Veranda, and Shannon is the daughter of popular Houston designer and antique dealer Jane Moore.
Originally a catalog and e-commerce business, Wisteria opened its first physical store in Dallas in 2010. The Newsoms had once planned to rapidly expand their footprint, telling the The Dallas Morning News in 2015 that they intended to open two stores a year for the next five years, though Wisteria’s store count topped out at three.
In 2018, the Newsoms sold the business to U.K.-based furniture and accessories retailer OKA, which also started as a catalog business. “Both Wisteria and OKA are family-founded companies that have a long history of traveling the world to discover the best global design,” Andrew Newsom told the The Dallas Morning News at the time. “To that end, we are excited about the opportunity to leverage what we've created and to build upon that going forward.” Under OKA’s ownership, Wisteria opened a Houston location late last year.
The chain never attained the expansive reach once imagined by the Newsoms, but it was beloved by the Texas design community, who voiced their sadness on the Instagram post announcing Wisteria’s closure. “You have been such a go-to vendor and source,” wrote designer Palmer Weiss. “So sad to see you close.”
Homepage image: Courtesy of Wisteria
