What’s the right mix of merchandising using the Web, catalogs and brick-and-mortar stores? The furniture retailer in this story on TampaBay.com seems to have found it, even though it took 25 years.

Ballard Designs built its success on direct-mail catalog sales of furniture, lighting, accessories and other European country-style products. They debuted the Web site a few years ago, and it now accounts for about 40 percent of sales. After three years of planning, their first retail store opened very recently. It’s already a hit with shoppers, according to the article, and will take the place of testing new products online.

Ballard’s president says, “Big furniture and decor retailers must be multichannel operators who straddle a presence on the Web, catalog and in stores.” I think that can apply to just about any retailer who’s looking for the optimal mix of online, catalog and physical store.

Ballard has been around since 1982. Management finally realized if they ever hoped to catch up to competitors like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel, they needed a place where customers can “touch, feel and experience the goods.”

That’s the purpose of their first store. A second is set to open in the fall. The stores are the newest side of Ballard’s merchandising triangle. I like their methodical approach. If you’ve been thinking about how to build out your triangle, read the article. It’s a case study for retailers of any size.