Case History: Multi-Market Floor Sample Liquidation
Furniture & Home Decor: Interior Define
Atlanta, GA & Washington, DC
Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
Fortis transformed a dark, abandoned furniture showroom into a high-performing floor sample sale, generating over $97,000 in gross revenue - just shy of the six-figure goal - while preparing the space for new tenancy.
Situation
Interior Define, a digitally native furniture retailer, entered an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) after widespread allegations of misused customer deposits and operational failures. Their Buckhead location in Atlanta was vacated mid-lease, with showroom floor samples abandoned inside, leaving the landlord with lost rent and no clear recovery strategy. The project was not a good fit for traditional liquidators due to the "dark store" challenge and secondhand nature of the inventory.
Objective
Fortis Business Advisors was engaged to maximize recovery by executing a professional, landlord-aligned floor sample sale. This included reopening the vacant store, building a custom microsite, launching paid social and email campaigns, photographing and pricing used showroom inventory, and managing all in-store operations. The goal was to convert the abandoned samples into cash, cover costs, and return value to the landlord.
Results​​​
Reopened and staged a closed showroom as a functional floor sample liquidation sale.
Sold just under $100,000 of used and sample merchandise over a multi-week sale.
Covered all sales costs including merchant fees and operating expenses.
Delivered nearly $70,000 in net proceeds back to the landlord, the equivalent of multiple months of market rent.
The landlord extended the sale due to strong performance, and a new tenant took occupancy immediately after the sale.
Remaining inventory was tranferred to Fortis' DC pop-up for full monetization.
Strategic Insight
This engagement highlights Fortis's ability to generate meaningful recovery from floor sample inventory, even in fully abandoned, non-operational stores. By reopening dark showrooms, staging used merchandise professionally, and launching targeted digital campaigns, Fortis delivered substantial returns without relying on a functioning business or tenant participation.
Logan Circle, Washington, DC
Fortis successfully liquidated remaining showroom samples from Interior Define's failed operations in high-visibility but previously vacated D.C storefront - maxmizing returns and restoring utility to the space.
Situation
After Interior Define's collapse left its Logan Circle showroom dark and abandoned, the landlord faced an all-too-common problem: a fully vacated high-end retail space with no operating tenant and showroom inventory still in place. The store had gone dark, and due to the volume of available inventory to sell, it was not a good fit for traditional liquidators. The landlord brought in Fortis to reopen the location and execute a professional liquidation of the remaining floor samples left behind. The goal was to clear the property, monetize the inventory, and prepare the store to be re-leased to a new tenant. During the early stages of the sale, Fortis identified an opportunity to enhance recovery by transporting unsold merchandise from its successful Atlanta liquidation to the DC store, allowing for a fully-staged showroom, increased selection, and a final sell-through of both inventories.
Objective
Fortis's mandate was to professionally liquidate all remaining showroom assets and maximize net recovery for the landlord, despite the store being dark and inactive. This included relaunching the space as a controlled, short-term sale environment, managing customer flow and transactions, and ensuring all merchandise, including fixtures, was sold through. As the sale progressed and space opened up on the showroom floor, Fortis transported and incorporated unsold inventory from the Atlanta location to achieve a full sell-through across both locations. All operations were to be executed with minimal disruption and in full alignment with the property's high-end standards.
Results​​​
Reopened and reactivated a dark, non-operational showroom with no tenant cooperation.
Sold over $70,000 in floor sample inventory and fixtures over multiple weeks.
Generated over $20,000 in sales of Atlanta inventory that had been integrated into the DC sale.
Achieved a combined sell-through of nearly $150,000 in gross sales across both locations.
Maintained elevated visual standards appropriate for a high-end retail corridor.
Delivered the space broom-clean and lease-ready with minimal burden to the landlord.
Reinforced Fortis's role as a go-to solution for liquidating abandoned retail inventory, including in dark stores with no operational infrastructure.
Strategic Insight
Even without ongoing operations or tenant cooperation, Fortis delivered a clean, high-recovery outcome by monetizing floor sample merchandise through a structured, property-sensitive approach, proving that alternative liqudiation strategies are a viable, professional recovery tool in even the most challenging retail exit scenarios.