Introducing The Dwellin’ Sisters Blog!
Date: May 29, 2019
With our combined 25 years of experience in the furniture and interior design industry, we see the need to pass along our knowledge in helping people beautify and LOVE their homes.
Last summer, we met with a customer who wanted a complete “update” of her first floor. She was tired of the “Burgundy and Forest Green” color scheme that had been so popular 25 years ago and was ready for a refresh. She used our $150 in-home design consultation service and we put together a bunch of fun new ideas….
Everytime we meet with a new client or customer, we are excited for them. They can be on the hunt for a new chair for their bedroom, a new paint color for their great room, or a complete overhaul of their lower level. Every one of them is important to us. They are all opportunities to have them “love” their space again.
As sisters who “grew up” in the furniture industry we have seen the many changes that have taken place. Our father’s store started by just selling mattresses and recliners. It was a one-man operation that grew to a multi-store business with 50+ employees. We lived through all of it.
In high school, our parents would take us along to bi-annual trade shows to expose us to the workings of them. We now go to them with complete confidence. We worked within the business doing clerical work, sales, and eventually managing and buying.
When our parents no longer wanted the daily operations of a retail store, we took all of our knowledge and jumped at the opportunity to open our own store, Dwellings. Armed with a lifetime of knowledge of the workings of the furniture industry, and degrees in Interior Design & Entrepreneurship, we have now been in business for ourselves for 7+ years.
Throughout all of our years, we have talked to many people, visited many homes, and designed many rooms. All done with one common goal….to make the customer love their space. Often times, a second set of “eyes” looking at a design dilemma can generate a whole new perspective and many ideas un-thought of.
We want to help people. We want them to feel confident in their homes when they invite friends and family over. They should be proud of the home that they live in, no matter what their budget is. That is our goal.
People’s homes should be a reflection of themselves. Not everyone is satisfied with the same “catalog or big box store” look. There are SO many options when it comes to selecting a piece of furniture. Style, size, and fabric are all choices you have when purchasing a new piece for your home. We love to say that we “never order the same piece twice” when it comes to our floor samples. There’s just too much to choose from!
We offer our customers a well made product at a reasonable price. So often we hear
“wow, I thought you would be so much more expensive!” When in reality, our products are often similar in price to big-box store items, with much better quality.
Our above mentioned client went on to purchase the items we had chosen for her dining room. She took some of our recommended paint colors, and committed to making the changes in her home. We were confident in all of the items we had selected for her, though she only purchased a few, as they made a complete and cohesive design for her first floor redo. She had them delivered and installed in time for Thanksgiving last year.
Recently she called us again to revisit her home, using our $150 design consult. I talked to her briefly on the phone and she admittedly said she had been hesitant to go with all of our ideas right away. She didn’t know us and hadn’t seen our work in her home…..now she was ready to complete the project.
“You get it!” she said. “You totally get it.” Based on the things she had purchased for her dining room, she was confident in our ability to not only complete that room with finishing touches, but to also look at many other rooms throughout her home. We are now in the process of making selections for her lower level, master bedroom, guest room, and great room.
Whenever we visit a client’s home, we are overwhelmed by the ideas we have for the space. Often times as sisters, we leave with the exact same idea or furniture piece in mind. We work amazingly well together and are proud of the business we have not only created for ourselves, but the one that is being carried on as well.
Many of our vendors and factory representatives have been with us since our parents found them years ago. These long term relationships are so valuable to us. We can count on these manufacturers to produce a quality product that we are confident in. We want our customers to be happy with the pieces they purchase from us for many years.
Our goals for our new blog are many. We hope to educate people on all aspects of furniture and design. We hope to inspire people to beautify and LOVE their homes. We also hope to reveal the “inside scoop” on what it takes to be own and operate a furniture store present day.
As we embark on the construction of our new showroom and all the hopes and dreams we have, we are ultimately just excited to be able to offer our community a new and refreshing way of looking at home furnishings and design. There is so much out there to be shared!
We are here to help you! What ideas would you like to see us cover on our weekly blog? Are you struggling with a design questions? Send it to us! Interested in our in-home design consult? Schedule with us today!
We look forward to educating, inspiring, and entertaining you,
Julie & Jenny
The “dwellin” sisters