Scandinavian furniture brand Bolia opens first Australian store on Church St, Richmond

A Scandinavian furniture giant was tossing up between Melbourne and Sydney on where to open its first Australian store with a Richmond shopping ‘Mecca’ winning the battle.

Bolia opened it’s first Australian store on Thursday.

A major European furniture store has opened its first Australian store in Melbourne.

Scandinavian giant Bolia, which already operates in 12 countries, opened in Richmond on Thursday

The 415sq m store boasts a design workshop where customers can see and feel hundreds of material and colour samples to customise their furniture.

Head of retail Jo Foley said Church St was an “obvious choice” for Bolia’s first Australian store.

“We tossed between opening in Sydney or Melbourne,” she said.

“But Church St was the obvious choice as it is a real Mecca for beautiful design.

“It is such an inspirational strip so our first store just had to be there.”

Ms Foley said the store was a return to “old fashioned” hospitality and retail.

“Our goal is to form a connection with our customers and make the store feel like home,” she said.

“It is designed to be a calming experience, with coffee or tea for our customers while they browse and chat with the team.

“We want the store to evoke the senses with calming scent and the ability to see and touch our furniture.”