Dustin Walsh

Chris Meredith of Your Nesting Place sells more vintage, rehabbed furniture than new merchandise because of its higher profit margin. View larger photo

Chris Meredith, owner of Your Nesting Place, peruses countless antique stores, garage sales and auctions to acquire products for her Milford-based furniture boutique.

She seeks passed-over, seen-better-days items in need of a makeover. She'll then use paint, used wallpaper or a mélange of other spatterings to create entirely new and sought-after pieces.

“You'll never see a matching loveseat and couch set in our store,” says Meredith, 39. “We do a layered design look; we don't go along with the whole beige theme.”

She depends on repeat customers and their love for her one-of-a-kind treatments of vintage furnishings.

“My customers don't want that matching kind of look,” she says. “The people who get what we do come in every week to check out new pieces.”

Since buying the shop in 2002, Meredith has grown the business to revenues of $500,000 in 2008 and $425,000 in 2009.

Despite lower revenue in 2009, Your Nesting Place generated $11,000 more net income than 2008 through cost cutting, Meredith says.

“I've started leaning more on vintage products and doing more of the work myself,” she says. “The inventory mix of new and old is working.”

The vintage inventory has grown from 5 percent of the offerings to more than 20 percent, Meredith says. Your Nesting Place is also a signature gallery for Flexsteel Furniture.

Meredith also offers design consultation services for $275 plus $50 an hour. She says it accounts for more than 50 percent of her business.

“People are staying in their homes longer,” she says. “They're retooling what they have and want design choices with a distinctive look.”

Meredith's design work will be featured in an upcoming episode of MTV's “Teen Cribs,” she says. She gave a 20,000 square-foot Victorian-era home in Brighton Township a top-to-bottom redesign.

Detroit Make it Here sat down with Meredith in her boutique to chat furniture design, business acumen and exposure.

What's the best aspect of being a small business owner?

I really enjoy being in the heart of the action at all times. I'm not one to sit behind a computer generating useless reports based on a boss' whim. I love making my own decisions and either basking in the glory of a success or learning from a failure.

What adjustments have you made to weather the recession?

I studied my product mix and decided to sell more vintage furniture that I find and rehab myself. There is a much higher profit margin (and zero freight costs) on these pieces, as compared to new merchandise. I also cut four hours, weekly, from each of the four part-time employees, ended a cable television advertising contract and began running deliveries myself. It's a hoot to see a girl in heels and a dress at your door to deliver your sofa.

What's your favorite piece of furniture?

A piece we have in the store right now, actually. It is an expandable dining table with fat Jacobean-style turned legs that can be shortened to serve as a coffee table. The piece has great versatility.

What are you doing to access a wider customer base?

I'm working on an e-commerce feature on the Web site and sending targeting communications through Facebook and e-mail blasts, for example.

What makes you good at your job?

I love what I do, so it makes it easy to keep up on the latest trends. I also implement new ideas immediately to keep the store fresh and exciting.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I am constantly on the lookout for great pieces at fleas markets, estate sales and warehouses. I can see the potential in things most people would call junk.

What advice can you offer other boutique shop owners or designers?

Stay true to your vision and style, but be ready to adapt when the market changes. Try to stay ahead of the game with new product introductions and know more than your clients know.