NEW YORK-- Close to 300 retailers, architects, and contractors from throughout the New York Metropolitan area joined Dal-Tile for the March 28 opening of an upscale tile and stone gallery. The 5,000 sq. ft., street level space at 49 E. 21 St. includes a diverse assortment of products from around the world. The Dallas-based company, a division of Mohawk Industries, said it hopes the new designs will serve as a reminder of how far tile and stone flooring has evolved in recent years. Much of the tile and stone is displayed like fine artwork in an upscale Manhattan art galley. Adorning the floor, of course, is top quality tile.  

“This gives us the opportunity to present our products in a way that will help people understand all of the possibilities these materials have,” explained Dal-Tile  exec. vp  Matt Kahny in an interview with NFT at the start of the two-day “Premier Grand Opening Celebration” event. Kahny noted that creating an adequate merchandising display has long been a challenge for those who sell tile and stone.  

“There are a lot of retailers who are working more with ceramic tile and stone who don’t have the space to showcase the products,” continued Kahny. “This space acts as a sort of adjunct showroom for these stores.”  

The new showroom just off Park Ave. South is the seventh such gallery the Dallas-based company has opened in the U.S. in the past four years. As is the case with the others, it is open only to the trade.  

“We’ve found that the galleries can serve a variety of audiences – builders, retailers, designers and architects – to help their businesses,” Kahny said. –Richard  Monks