Hudson Valley Lighting Group’s recent acquisition of Schoolhouse Electric expands its already extensive lighting portfolio and opens the door to several new home décor categories.
HVLG bought the Portland, Ore.-based Schoolhouse from Food52 for $2.2 million through a bankruptcy auction earlier this month. Schoolhouse, which was founded 23 years ago in upstate New York and later moved to the West Coast, will be a standalone brand under the Hudson Valley Lighting Group umbrella.
In addition to lighting, Schoolhouse makes bed and bath items like quilts, duvets and shower curtains; hardware for doors and cabinets; décor pieces like throws, mirrors, clocks and wallpaper; rugs; and living room, dining room and bedroom furniture.
It was these other home categories that caught HVLG’s eye.
“As HVLG expands, [CEO] David [Littman] and the team are looking at the next steps outside of lighting,” said Sophie Bullinger, the company’s PR and communications manager. “Lighting remains our area of expertise. Schoolhouse having those additional areas was of added interest.”
Initially, it will focus on bringing Schoolhouse’s bedding and hardware lines to the market in addition to lighting, Bullinger told Home Accents Today.
Schoolhouse is a brand beloved by its customer base, and Bullinger said HVLG is committed to maintaining its unique voice, and its employees, where possible. “Before the [acquisition], Schoolhouse laid off employees, so we are in talks about bringing employees back and maintaining a presence in Portland,” she said.
It was too early to say whether a Schoolhouse design team would collaborate across HVLG’s brands, which include Hudson Valley Lighting, Troy, Corbett, Mitzi and the recently acquired Sonneman, Bullinger said. “It depends on who comes in, what their specialties are, where it makes sense to put them.”
HVLG is exploring whether it can keep the Schoolhouse showroom in Portland open. It is also evaluating its production capability. Much of Schoolhouse’s assortment was made in the U.S. “We will maintain it where we can keep it, but we do have amazing partners abroad that we work with, so I anticipate it will shift a little there,” Bullinger said.
Schoolhouse’s direct-to-consumer business will be maintained alongside its trade business, similar to how Mitzi operates, Bullinger said. Sales representatives are being introduced to the brand as HVLG brings it into the fold.
With April High Point Market around the corner, Bullinger said the HVLG team is focusing on introductions in Hudson Valley Lighting and Corbett, and new designer collections with Mitzi and Corbett. “Right now, we are working on bringing them all together and showing Schoolhouse hopefully in October,” said Bullinger.
