By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A new home furnishing and accessories store with a California vibe has opened downtown.

Jenni Kayne Home, which held its grand opening Aug. 27, is located at 15 Myrtle Ave. in Sconset Square.

Officials of the business have been looking for a permanent Westport location after successfully hosting two pop-up outlets in town in the past few years, according to Leonardo Garcia, director of East Coast stores for Jenni Kayne.

The Westport store is the company’s 19th in the U.S., and the second in Connecticut. The other store is in Greenwich. “We want to have a bigger footprint in Connecticut,” Garcia said. 

Three more Jenni Kayne store are located in New York City. 

The Westport store carries furniture and accessories only, while other Jenni Kayne stores may carry only the company’s apparel line, or both, as in the Greenwich store.

Garcia described the style of furniture for sale in the local store’s muted, relaxed atmosphere, “California minimalism.”  

The furniture and accessories, arranged in several vignettes around the small showroom, feature pale grays and similar colors, with soft music playing as customers consult with the sales staff. 

“It’s a zen space,” Garcia said.

One of the biggest advantages Jenni Kayne offers, he said, is furniture delivery in four to six weeks, with some items taking only seven to 10 business days to be delivered. The product line is manufactured in the U.S., making delivery times faster than many other businesses that import furniture they sell, he said. 

Kyra Hammer, sales lead at the Westport store, is a Darien native, who moved here from California to help open the new store. “I’ve been here from the beginning,” she said. Hammer has worked for Jenni Kayne in Palo Alto, Calif., for two years, and in Greenwich for a short time before the Westport store opened.

“I love it,” Hammer said of the new store. “I’m very happy we opened here.”

The store has already received a positive response from Westport customers, Garcia said, and will continue to hold events every month to inspire area shoppers to come in to browse the Jenni Kayne collection. Neighboring retailers, in particular, have been welcoming, he added.

“We’re a store, but we’re here to build community through our stores,” Garcia said.

Jenni Kayne Home, 15 Myrtle Ave. in Sconset Square, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Contact: 203-635-8202 or westport@jennikayne.com.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and currently teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.