Furniture Showroom Opens in South Los Angeles

Cisco Brothers Furniture has announced the opening of Phase One of the LA Design Center, a showroom complex in South Los Angeles intended to encourage distributors of home furnishings and accessories to showcase their product in the heart of Los Angeles growing furniture manufacturing district.

For Immediate Release      

Contact:    
Stephanie Bradfield
Bradfield Consulting for
Genesis LA
818.591.9155
sbradfield@earthlink.net

(Los Angeles) Cisco Brothers Furniture has announced the opening of Phase One of the LA Design Center, a showroom complex in South Los Angeles intended to encourage distributors of home furnishings and accessories to showcase their product in the heart of Los Angeles furniture manufacturing district.

The first phase of the Design Center included the renovation of 80,000 square feet of abandoned warehouse space surrounding a landscaped central courtyard, with 35,000 square feet dedicated to Cisco Brothers own showroom. The remaining space is occupied by Home Collection, a North Carolina company, and South Cone Collection, scheduled to open in late spring. Plans are underway for an adjacent 130,000 square feet to be completed in the next two years.

Cisco Brothers and the LA Design Center employ 210 people, half of whom live in the community. Francisco Pinedo, owner of Cisco Brothers and developer of the Design Center, says, My wife and I grew up in this neighborhood, and chose to build our business here. I travel throughout the world to sell my furniture, but I can imagine no better place to showcase what is happening in the LA furniture industry than right here in South LA."

Marci Wiseman, CEO and Vice Chair of Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation, which is assisting with the project and its planned expansion, says, The LA Design Center is the product of Ciscos vision for both the industry and the South Los Angeles community. He knows that buyers will welcome the opportunity to do business on the West coast. And more importantly, he knows that growing and investing in his business in South LA, where he started, will benefit not only himself, but also the community."

Designed by John Friedmann Alice Kimm Architects, an LA based firm, the LA Design Center is a renovation of existing structures dating to the 1920s. Wiseman notes, High-end architecture and renovation is what weve come to expect on the Westside, but the LA Design Center is a testament to whats possible in the heart of our neglected city center, where businesses can, and are, thriving."             (MORE)
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Ilse Metchek, head of the LA by Design Initiative of the Los Angeles Economic Development Commission, says, Cisco Brothers has done a lot to put South Central on the map -- it now becomes a focal point of LAs growing design industry, which includes fashion and furniture."

The city reports there are 991 furniture manufacturers in South Los Angeles employing more than 33,000 people. Cisco Brothers/LA Design Center is located at 5955 S. Western Avenue and is privately owned by Pinedo and his wife and partner, Alba. Cisco Brothers manufactures upholstered furniture and case goods sold throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation champions market-driven solutions for businesses, developers, communities, and investors to stimulate jobs and community growth. A non-profit organization, it is supported by tax-deductible donations and public and private grants.

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