At Home

At Home is a large-format home décor and furnishings retailer that operates warehouse-style stores focused on wide selection and everyday low prices. Its stores carry furniture, wall art, rugs, lighting, seasonal and holiday décor, outdoor furnishings and storage and organization products, offered across a mix of national brands and private labels. The concept serves shoppers who want current styles and a broad range of choices at value price points, all in a single visit.

The business began in 1979 as Garden Ridge, a Texas-based retailer focused on lawn and garden products and crafts. Over the years it expanded heavily into home décor and furnishings and started opening very large stores across the South and Midwest. A key milestone came in 2014, when the company rebranded to At Home. That change signaled a shift from a regional craft-and-garden chain to a home-focused destination, with updated layouts, signage and merchandising to support a faster national roll-out.

As of April 2024 At Home operated about 270 stores across more than 40 U.S. states. The chain has a strong presence in suburban trade areas and secondary markets that can support a large-format value home concept. Most locations average around 100,000 square feet and are typically found in power centers and former big-box spaces, including ex-anchors and category-killer boxes. Stores are designed as a one-stop resource where customers can furnish multiple rooms, refresh décor by season or holiday, and find oversized decorative pieces that smaller specialty stores may not stock.

The company went public in 2016, then in 2021 was acquired and taken private by funds advised by Hellman & Friedman LLC. Private ownership has allowed At Home to keep investing in new stores and remodels while maintaining a steady pipeline of openings. Over roughly the last five years, the chain has shifted from a primarily regional footprint to a more national presence, moving into coastal markets and deeper into high-growth Sunbelt metros. Recent store openings in states such as New York, California and Florida, along with entries into select mid-sized metropolitan areas, reflect that broader reach.

At Home’s current growth strategy centers on opening additional large-format home décor stores in suburban power centers and backfilling second-generation big-box real estate. The company has outlined a long-term opportunity for several hundred additional locations beyond its existing base, subject to availability of suitable large boxes and redevelopment projects. It also relocates or remodels chosen stores to improve access, visibility and operational efficiency, updating older units as centers evolve.

For landlords, brokers and developers, At Home functions as a single-use, high-square-footage tenant that can help re-tenant vacant or underused big-box shells, including former junior anchors and older department store spaces. The stores generate consistent, destination-driven traffic tied to both everyday home needs and peak seasonal periods, and they tend to sit comfortably alongside off-price and other value-oriented retailers in open-air and power center environments.