Lighting showrooms are well represented on Home Accents Today‘s 2025 Retail Stars list. Here’s what makes them standouts:
Alcott and Bentley, Louisville, Ky.
An institution in Louisville, Ky. since 1979, Alcott & Bentley, owned by John and Allyson Mokhtarei, took the opportunity to rebuild a memorable showroom complete with lighting, home accents and décor after the original store burned to the ground in 2006. Located in Louisville’s historic Highlands shopping district, the Mokhtareis said they do business “the old-fashioned way” by earning the trust and respect of their customers and cultivating relationships that last a lifetime. Although Louisville’s customer base leans toward a traditional design aesthetic, designers here say they know how to push the envelope by regularly changing out displays and selecting artwork, accessories and accent furniture to complement the latest lighting trends. The company’s designers also appeal to current and would-be customers through the showroom blog, a collection of deep dives into recent projects and educational articles that showcase the staff’s skill and breadth of industry knowledge. —Anne Flynn Wear
Dominion Lighting, Arlington, Va.
Dominion Lighting, with its flagship store in Arlington, Va., has undergone quite the transformation in the past five years. The lighting retailer, which has a second location in Chantilly, Va., has updated its store merchandising and approach, streamlining selection and adding technology to facilitate customer engagement and education. In addition to stellar customer experience, Dominion supports local artists, as well as providing social space for events. The pre-COVID changes made to the Arlington location were extended to Chantilly several years ago, garnering Dominion multiple awards. The company has won several Lightovation Showroom of the Year Awards as well as an ARTS award for lighting retail in 2024. As the retailer has recently become a division of Border State, the experienced staff continues to pivot toward a service-based model, offering fee-based enhanced design consultation, documentation and visualization tools. Dominion Lighting is ahead of the curve as it focuses on its aim to sell partnership, inspiration and trust rather than just product. —Diane Falvey
Elan Studio Lighting, Metairie, La.
Elan Studio Lighting brings its lighting and design expertise to Metairie, La., and beyond with a brick-and-mortar location and online store, both of which offer an extensive collection of quality lighting. The retailer also provides experts who can explain technology needs as well as design significance.
While lighting is this showroom’s focus, its connection to Elan Design Studio, founded by Heather Somers, provides interior design services, giving this lighting retailer an edge for customers looking to bring expert design to their homes. Somers’s approach to design combines creativity, attention to detail and a deep understanding of her clients’ needs, something the lighting retailer focuses on as well.
With an educational blog platform designed to help potential customers better understand lighting and its importance in design, as well as dedicated lighting experts to expand on that knowledge, Elan Studio Lighting elevates lighting retail and provides a knowledge center for its clientele. —DF
Georgia Lighting, Sugarhill, Ga.
Frank Therrien took a chance in December 2020 when he opened Georgia Lighting in Sugarhill, Ga., at the height of the COVID pandemic. The gamble paid off, and Georgia Lighting has more than doubled its revenue since opening, has won two Showroom of the Year Awards, and has been a finalist in the ARTS Awards.
Honoring the legacy of the original Georgia Lighting, which closed in 2006, Therrien’s Georgia Lighting focuses on a dynamic atmosphere and an extensive selection of lighting and home furnishings, balancing the latest design trends with traditional tastes.
In a continuing effort to wow its clientele, Georgia Lighting pays close attention to how it handles its guests — especially in-store customers. Therrien has implemented a three-tier discount program to drive customers to higher-margin suppliers — Spotlight Manufacturers — by offering discount levels, providing significant savings to in-store customers. Therrien is also working to highlight his showroom’s comprehensive pre-tariff inventory to expand savings for Georgia Lighting’s customer base. —DF
Light and Day, Frederick and Ellicott City, Md.
Light & Day is a locally owned and operated full-service lighting retail showroom with two locations — Frederick and Ellicott City, Md. This family-owned retailer has established itself as a frontrunner in lighting design and implementation by focusing on the needs of its customers. The store’s representatives are knowledgeable and can assist in all lighting projects, the company says. The Frederick store opened its doors in 2008 and following that store’s success, the Ellicott City location was added. Also showcasing its success, Light & Day was honored with an ARTS Award nomination for Lighting Showroom East/Atlantic Region.
Both retail showrooms display products from more than 60 leaders in the lighting industry, featuring such brands as Hudson Valley, Visual Comfort, Kichler, Artcraft, Hinkley, Hubbardton Forge, Elk Lighting and more. Light & Day’s goal is to deliver the right quality products at affordable prices to its customers. —DF
Lightopia, Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.
Lightopia has been a fixture in Southern California since 2006, opening its first showroom in Laguna Beach, sharing that locale’s appreciation of fine art, architecture and sustainable living. The lighting retailer quickly became involved in design projects throughout Orange County and Los Angeles. It added a website two years later, expanding its reach. In 2016, Lightopia moved into its current, larger location in the Southern California Design Center of Costa Mesa.
This lighting showroom has thrived by meeting its customers where they are and providing the expertise needed for those customers to solve their architectural and decorative lighting needs. The “Ideas” section on its website, for example, showcases easily digestible information for a wide variety of lighting applications.
Acquired by home décor group Elevated Brands in 2022, Lightopia continues to serve its community with an exemplary lighting selection. In 2024, the lighting retailer was honored with an ARTS Award for Lighting Showroom in the West. —DF
Lightology, Chicago
Lightology, a standout lighting retailer founded in 2001 in Chicago’s design-centric River North neighborhood, has won multiple awards during its tenure, showcasing it as a premier destination for modern lighting, commercial lighting and home décor. With three stories of awe-inspired designs and artwork from around the globe, this ever-evolving lighting showroom is designed to serve the specialty needs of architects, designers, contractors, trade professionals and homeowners, supported by accredited associates and a lighting learning center. Encased in glass, the 20,000-square-foot showroom flows around a central atrium and features catwalks filled with interactive features and high-end fixtures, creating a unique experience for its guests.
About those awards … While Lightology’s showroom awards date back to its early days, most recently the lighting retailer has won consecutive ARTS awards in 2024 and 2025, along with an ASID Design Excellence Award and multiple Showroom of the Year awards for outstanding merchandising. —DF
Metro Lighting, St. Louis, Mo.
With close to 50 years in business, Metro Lighting began as Metro Electric Supply, after purchasing St. Louis Electric Supply from its original owners. In 1978, the new owners purchased an electrical distributor that also housed a 2,500-square-foot lighting showroom, and the company became Metro Lighting. From there, growth was swift, and by 2011, Metro Lighting had nine locations in the greater St. Louis, Mo., area, and was winning awards, such as Energy Star Excellence in Retailing and ARTS Awards.
In 2021, Metro Lighting was sold to Graybar Electric, keeping the lighting retailer firmly rooted in St. Louis, where the company maintains six locations. Metro continues to stand out locally and beyond with its commitment to the environment, ensuring its staff is well-versed in energy efficient lighting and controls. As a result, Metro Lighting has been honored with an Energy Star Partner of the Year Award – Climate Communicator — DF
Magnolia Lighting, Mississippi
Family-owned since 1984, Magnolia Lighting has evolved from its start as a lighting and electrical supply business into a four-store retailer that spans the northern half of Mississippi and draws from the Memphis, Tenn., and eastern Arkansas markets with its assortment of lighting and home décor. Lamps and artwork are the best-selling categories in the latter. A winner of a 2025 ARTS Award for lighting showrooms in the East/Atlantic region, Magnolia Lighting has built its business on new construction activity in the area, but it has diversified its assortment and tries to target new homeowners who come for lighting but hopefully return for home accents, according to company principal Pam Whitfield. – Allison Zisko
Ultra Design Center, Denver
Family-owned Ultra Design Center started out as a door and cabinet hardware company serving mostly builders and designers. When it entered the lighting category in 2019, the business approached it as a blank slate that could be presented compellingly with dedicated and committed salespeople, according to managing partner Kevin Castelo. The Denver-based lighting showroom, which carries brands such as Allegri, Allora, Kuzco, Eurofase, Currey & Co., David Trubridge and Visual Comfort, among many others, received a retail ARTS Award in January for its efforts.
It’s currently working on building a new 3,000 square-foot space dedicated to wellness products such as the first solar-powered sauna in the U.S., in addition to steam and cold plunge. “As far as I can tell, there isn’t anything like this in the U.S., which will make this showroom a true destination for Colorado and beyond,” Castelo said. – AZ
