Lisa Thompson and Andrea Woolen-Hayes both love to shop and repurpose. Their new store, named Unique Nest, is off to a strong start with plenty of community support.
“Anything to keep items out of the landfill is what we try to do,” Thompson said. “Our collection continued to grow and we decided we needed to open our own shop. Neither of us had any experience with retail, but we knew we could do it.”
The store, which focuses on furniture and home decor, includes a combination of new items, consignment pieces and renewed items.
“We like to take something old and make it new again,” Thompson said. “If someone sees a piece of furniture in our store and wishes it could be a different color to match their home, we can do that. We offer custom painting. I don’t know of any other store that offers that.”
The pair is also using their new business venture as a way to give back to the community.
“We take donations and when the items sell. A portion goes back to a charity that we sponsor,” Thompson said. “We want a portion of our sales every month to go to a charity of our choice. We plan to focus on smaller charities that don’t get a ton of attention.”
Since their doors opened on Aug. 21, Thompson said business has gone very well.
“There is a lot of stuff to look at and it’s ever changing — if you see it today you better get it because tomorrow it will be gone,” she said. “We stay busy. We already have our regulars who come in every weekend.”
If the first few weeks have taught them anything about small business, it’s that customer referrals are invaluable.
“I’ll hear someone talking about how a specific piece would go perfect in so-and-so’s house,” Thompson said. “They tell their friends who come in to check it out; word of mouth has been wonderful.”
Looking ahead, Unique Nest hopes to hold classes as a way to get people out of the house to connect with other people in the community.
“We want to have classes where we can maybe make baskets or paint or do something together. Our main focus is to give back to the community,” Thompson said. “We also want to try to do some Facebook Live events soon.”
Unique Nest is located at 1303 Breckinridge St. They are open on Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 pm; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday from 12-5 pm.
Thompson said they are also available by appointment. For more information, visit theuniquenestky.com.
“We love talking to people, meeting new people, and hearing their stories,” Thompson said. “We have a lot to learn. We have no retail experience whatsoever. We just took a leap of faith.”
