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Photos by Ashley Sullivan
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One of the benefits of Rosenthal Interiors’ unlikely Warehouse District location—where it’s the lone furniture store surrounded by Irish pubs, music clubs, and sports venues—is there are plenty of spots to grab a sandwich at lunchtime. Owner Rosie Lebewitz was at a café within view of her store when she overheard another patron ask a waitress if she knew of any home stores in the area. “I think there’s one over in the North Loop,” the waitress replied. Lebewitz recounts this exchange with a mix of frustration, resignation, and disbelief. It’s the story of Rosenthal Furniture: hidden in plain sight for 122 years.
Lebewitz, a fourth-generation storeowner, is convinced she has finally figured out the right formula to bring her family’s business into the spotlight. The fresh white exterior on Rosenthal’s two-story building at Fifth Street and First Avenue—a hard-won victory with city permitting given the structure’s historic status—is but a symbol of some dramatic changes inside.
Gone are the $999 transitional couches. The basics that long supported Rosenthal’s “within reach” motto are being phased out. In their place: $16,000 sleek Italian sectionals, faux fur chaise longues, and a state-of-the-art glass dining room table with a motor in the middle for expansion. “People are looking for something no one else has,” Lebewitz says. “There’s no doubt that there’s a market in the Twin Cities for luxury contemporary furnishings.”
That market would seem to be right in Rosenthal’s neighborhood, with the luxury condos and modern lofts that now dominate the North Loop. But Lebewitz says it has been a struggle. So she’s reaching out—by featuring work from local artists, hosting monthly happy hours, and adding exclusive lines and a team of in-houseinterior designers who make house calls all over the Twin Cities.
Lebewitz has been steering the store toward contemporary furniture since the 1990s, even convincing her father to add “contemporary” to the store name. But the focus of Rosenthal Contemporary Furniture was value, not the top of the market where Lebewitz is now ready to venture. Her longtime membership in the Contemporary Design Group, a national industry association, has allowed her access to high-end lines that are not widely available, including Gamma and Calligaris. Lebewitz has started doing European buying trips to stay ahead of the trends.
She recently changed the official store name once again, this time to Rosenthal Interiors. “It reflects the concept of high-end and design. A one-stop shop.”
The customer who is in the market for luxury furniture often wants interior design services to match. So Lebewitz has added three full-time designers to offer free in-store consults. They are also available for complete projects, everything from flooring to paint color.
Lebewitz is already starting to see the payoff, as customers with an affinity for contemporary design—from Duluth to Rochester, Maine to Arizona—are coming to Rosenthal Interiors to furnish a complete room or even an entire house. “This is going to be the year we make a jump,” Lebewitz says. Her only regret is that her father, Sherman, didn’t live to see her sell a $16,000 sofa.
