Ethan Allen Design Center opens at Waterfront Plaza on Saturday

Wichita’s new Ethan Allen Design Center is opening at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Waterfront Plaza at the northwest corner of 13th and Webb Road where Whole Foods Market is.

The business, which bills itself as a design house, offers free design services. Customers can select furniture and fabric to create their own custom pieces.

In 2007, Ethan Allen closed at 416 N. Rock Road, where it had been for more than two decades. That was an independently owned store. A Mattress Hub is in the space now.

The new Ethan Allen is a corporate store. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days except for Thursdays, when it’s open until 8 p.m., and Sundays, when it’s open from noon to 5 p.m.

The 7,200-square-foot store is next to SpaRenity Nails & Organics.

In January, Ethan Allen vice president for real estate John Durkott first told Have You Heard? the store would be returning to Wichita.

At the time, he said the store will “be totally different” from what customers have seen in the past.

“Our products have been dramatically changed in the last two years. They’re more relevant. They’re more fashionable. They appeal to a … broader spectrum of clientele.”

Look for a grand opening of the store in September.