Los Angeles-based manufacturer Pacific Coast Lighting and the largest lighting retailer in the country, Lamps Plus – which has 30+ brick-and-mortar stores spanning several states plus operates a robust online business – have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship since the late 1970s.
Pacific Coast Lighting (PCL) has maintained permanent showrooms over the years at major trade venues such as Las Vegas Market, High Point Market, and the Dallas Market Center. The upcoming High Point Market will reportedly be PCL’s last (the Dallas showroom closed years ago, and the Las Vegas Market showroom was still in operation recently).
Industry veterans remember Pacific Coast Lighting as an early adopter of licensing agreements, most notably with its popular Kathy Ireland Home and Cabana Joe brands.
In July 2022, private equity firm Nexus Capital Management LP led a strategic investment in Lamps Plus, Inc. And in January 2024, we reported that Pacific Coast Lighting had launched “a newly improved website, designed to provide buyers with more accessibility, visibility, and improved functionality.”
Today, not quite two months after the PCL website revamp, a corporate statement was released: “Lamps Plus has made the difficult decision to close the Pacific Coast Lighting business. Although PCL has been a successful part of Lamps Plus since 1979, it has represented a small percentage of the total business. Therefore, after much consideration, the company has decided it can best serve its customer base by focusing on the e-commerce and retail channels as well as the [Lamps Plus Pros] business in the future. Over the next several months, the company will work with partners to sell through inventory and will have one last wholesale presence in High Point, North Carolina, in April.”
The announcement added, “The company is appreciative of the many wonderful relationships that Pacific Coast Lighting has built over the last 40+ years and looks forward to the next 40+ years of product innovation and unmatched customer service as the destination for exceptional lighting products.”
Founded by Dennis and Manja Swanson, Lamps Plus has also long been respected by the communities it serves for its charitable efforts, partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, A Sense of Home, and Furnishing Hope, among others.
