Ikea is opening one of its new format “pick-up points” in Escondido. The store, in the Escondido Promenade mall, will be far smaller than a standard Ikea. It is not a showroom with dozens of room displays, but a space where people can access Ikea’s design services and pick up purchases.

“I’m beyond excited to welcome customers at Ikea Escondido this spring,” Laura Mellor, the U.S. Ikea market manager, told Fox 5/KUSI. The new store is just under 800 square feet.

The closest Ikea showroom and pick-up point are in Mission Valley, and the nearest pick-up location outside that is in Orange County. Those are more than 70 miles apart. This location brings Ikea’s merchandise closer to consumers in inland North San Diego County and southern Riverside County.

This small-format alternative is a way for the home furnishings global giant to expand its footprint without spending on real estate. Outside California, it is launching a different kind initiative: design services tucked inside Best Buy stores, where shoppers can integrate appliances from Best Buy into their Ikea kitchens. The 10-store pilot is in cities in Texas and Florida that don’t have an Ikea store.

“We’re committed to reaching even more customers where they are,” Javier Quiñones, Ikea’s CEO and chief sustainability officer, said in an annual report.

The company’s global sales fell more than 5% in fiscal 2024. “The drop is mainly due to lower prices. This result was achieved despite a struggling global economy and shrinking home furnishing market,” the company said.

Luxury furniture brand returns

Restoration Hardware is back in San Diego. RH San Diego, The Gallery, has opened at Westfield UTC. The showroom is near Room & Board, in a space that had been occupied by the bankrupt kitchen and bath store Pirch.

With this opening, Restoration Hardware is reintroducing its gallery showroom to San Diego County. Its Fashion Valley store closed in 2012. It has an outlet in the 4S Commons Town Center.

“Spanning nearly 24,000 square feet across two levels, RH San Diego has been conceived as a transparent, light-filled architectural landmark. The Gallery features immersive presentations of RH Interiors, RH Modern and RH Outdoor, alongside rare antiques and curated artifacts from around the world,” a brand representative wrote in an email.

This store is a Gallery concept, with its product lines displayed in elegant and extravagant spaces. On the main floor, the store will showcase interior rooms and outdoor vignettes, in both classic and contemporary looks. It will also have design services. A “grand staircase” proceeds to the lower level, with more installations.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s eatery coming to San Diego

One Paseo will be home to San Diego County’s first goop kitchen, the Gwyneth Paltrow branded restaurant whose mission is to “accelerate the clean-food movement by proving that eating clean can be delicious, satisfying and accessible.”

A sign on a storefront, formerly Tender Greens, announced the restaurant is coming soon.

On the menu: a chopped salad with gem lettuce mix, falafel crispies, white cheddar, roasted squash, marinated yellow beets, chopped dates, toasted almonds and maple mustard vinaigrette. New items this season include a curry cauliflower soup and a blackened salmon bowl.