Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Ernesta Announces Move to New Headquarters and Key Hires
August 20,
2026 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
Ernesta, the largest retailer of custom-sized rugs in the United States, announced the move to its new headquarters at 119 West 24th Street in Manhattan, alongside the appointments of Rohit Bagalkot as Vice President of Marketing and Kelly Shah as Director of Inventory Planning. Together, the new space and the new leaders mark the next chapter in a year of rapid expansion for the company, which recently reported significant year-over-year growth and closed a $20 million Series B.
The new headquarters occupies the entire second floor of 119 West 24th Street, a bright loft of 12,500 square feet with room for more than 90 employees. Sitting at the crossroads of Chelsea and Flatiron, the space places Ernesta close to the interior designers, trade partners, and customers at the center of its business. The office features open work areas, large conference rooms, and breakout spaces, giving the growing team room to collaborate as the company continues its major growth.
"Ernesta made a brilliant move here," said Ben Shapiro, Vice Chairman at Newmark. "They secured a standout space in one of Manhattan's most sought after neighborhoods ahead of a very competitive time. This move sets them up well as they build for the long term."
"Great companies are built by great people, and we just added two of the best," said Alan Smith, President of Ernesta. "Rohit is a world class marketer, one of the most talented people I have had the chance to work with, and the impact he has had speaks for itself. Having someone of his caliber at Ernesta is a huge win for us, and I could not be more excited about what he is going to build here. Paired with Kelly's exceptional planning expertise, we now have the leadership to scale this business the right way."
Rohit Bagalkot, Vice President of Marketing
Rohit Bagalkot joins Ernesta to lead brand, growth, and performance marketing as the company scales its customer base and showroom footprint. He joins from Prenuvo, where he served as Vice President of Marketing, and previously held senior marketing leadership roles at Peloton. His track record of building high growth consumer brands positions him to help Ernesta reach more designers and homeowners across the country.
"Ernesta is doing something genuinely new in a category that has not changed in decades, and the results speak for themselves," said Rohit Bagalkot. "There is an enormous opportunity to introduce more people to a better way to buy rugs, and I am thrilled to help tell that story as we grow."
Kelly Shah, Director of Inventory Planning
Kelly Shah joins Ernesta as Director of Inventory Planning, where she will lead demand planning, inventory strategy, and the operational systems that keep the company's fast delivery promise reliable as order volume grows. She joins from Ring Concierge, where she served as Senior Director of Planning, and previously held planning leadership roles at Studs, David Yurman, and Macy's. Kelly brings nearly a decade of merchandise and inventory planning experience across fast growing direct to consumer brands, expertise that will be central to supporting Ernesta's continued expansion.
"Delivering a custom product quickly and dependably comes down to great planning behind the scenes," said Kelly Shah. "I am excited to join a team that is scaling so quickly and to build the inventory foundation that lets Ernesta keep that promise to every customer."
With a new headquarters, a growing leadership team, and momentum across its business, Ernesta is building the foundation for its next phase of growth.