Home Furnishings Stores

The 16,700 home furnishings retailers in the US sell housewares, tableware, giftware, décor, linens, lighting, floor coverings, and window treatments. Home furnishings include most home-related goods, but exclude furniture. Companies that specialize in general home furnishings account for 54% of industry revenue; floor coverings retailers are 43%; window treatment retailers are 3%.

Competition From Alternative Retailers

Home furnishings stores face competition from a variety of alternative retailers, including mass merchandisers, department stores, Internet-based and catalog retailers, outlet stores, and home shopping networks.

Demand Driven By Trends

The home furnishings market is influenced by trends and fads related to fashion.

Sep 23, 2026 - Practical Housewares Lead Purchase Intent

• Strong purchase intent for practical housewares could support US home furnishings retailers, with 67% of consumers likely to buy cleaning tools, 65% home health care products, and 60% grooming and beauty products over the coming year, according to a Home Furnishings News report. The International Housewares Association’s 2026 MarketOutlook found that at least half of consumers plan to buy from most core housewares categories. The results suggest retailers may benefit most from emphasizing functional, wellness-oriented merchandise rather than purely decorative purchases. Replacement demand also remains important, with replacing an old or broken product the leading reason consumers expect to make new purchases. For home furnishings retailers, assortments centered on necessity, self-care, and practical household use could provide more dependable demand as shoppers continue to scrutinize spending.
• Furniture and home furnishings retailers underperformed the broader retail sector in July 2026, with sales down 0.04% month over month and up just 2.71% year over year, according to July's CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. By comparison, total retail sales excluding autos and gas rose 0.32% monthly and 5.15% annually, while core retail sales increased 0.30% and 4.72%, respectively. Furniture also lagged most major categories year over year, including electronics and appliances (+12.04%), digital products (+12.02%), health and personal care (+10.07%), general merchandise (+8.3%), clothing (+6.55%), and grocery (+4.52%). Still, furniture outperformed building and garden supply stores (-1.2%) and sporting goods, hobby, music, and book stores (-3.01%). The results suggest comparatively soft discretionary demand for furniture and home furnishings.
• Back-to-college demand is expected to provide a bright spot for home furnishings stores, as the National Retail Federation forecasts a 9.4% increase in spending on dorm and apartment furnishings even as consumers grapple with rising debt and dwindling savings. NRF expects total back-to-college spending to exceed $100 billion for the first time and does not anticipate a significant decline in consumer spending during the second half of 2026. However, home furnishings retailers will continue to face a cautious consumer environment, with credit card delinquency rates near 13%, the personal savings rate falling to 3.0%, and inflation weighing on household budgets. While seasonal demand should support sales of dorm and apartment furnishings, retailers may need to emphasize value, promotions, and affordable financing to sustain momentum as consumers remain selective with discretionary purchases.
• Weakening consumer confidence points to a cautious outlook for home furnishings retailers, where purchases such as décor, lighting, and household accessories can be postponed. The University of Michigan’s September Consumer Sentiment Index fell 7.5% to 47.8. Current Economic Conditions slipped 1.9% to 50.9, while Consumer Expectations dropped 11.1% to 45.8, suggesting households may become more selective about discretionary home purchases. Separately, the Conference Board’s August Consumer Confidence Index edged down to 89.4. Its Present Situation Index rose to 121.2, indicating relatively firmer near-term conditions, but the Expectations Index fell to 68.2, well below the 80 level historically associated with recession concerns. Overall, weaker expectations could increase promotional pressure and favor lower-priced or necessity-driven home furnishings purchases.

Industry size & Structure

A typical home furnishings store operates out of a single location, employs about 12 workers, and generates $3.7 million annually.

• The home furnishings retail industry consists of about 16,700 companies that employ about 208,500 workers and generate $61.9 billion annually.
• Companies that specialize in general home furnishings account for 56% of industry revenue; floor coverings retailers are 41%; window treatment retailers are 3%.
• The general home furnishings retailing segment of the industry is somewhat concentrated, with the top 20 firms accounting for 54% of sector sales. The floor covering and window treatment retailing industries are fragmented.
• Large companies include CCA Global Partners (Carpet One, Flooring America), Williams Sonoma, At Home, and Crate and Barrel.