Our Place to Yours offers home furniture along with bargains
By Bonnie Gretzner
Deb Goodlaski
The showroom at Our Place to Yours home furnishings in Brighton features a mix of new and consignment furniture – a formula that has worked well the past 14 years for owner Deb Goodlaski. “I like mixing it up,” she says. “It adds a warm feeling to the store. You get a little bit of everything, and you never know what you’re going to find.”
Located in downtown Brighton, the store carries furniture for all rooms of the home, including the bedroom, living room, dining room and home office. Their inventory is about 40 percent new and 60 percent consignment. “It’s a good balance, because when times are tough, people want to save money,” Deb says. “In fact, I don’t know when people haven’t been looking to save money.” All consignment furniture must be clean, in good condition, and in current colors. Deb adds, “You can get a really nice piece of furniture without spending a lot of money. When it’s in your home, nobody can tell where it’s from.”
The store also carries accents pieces for the home, and following the holidays, artwork is a big seller. “As people take down their Christmas decorations, they think how ‘blah’ their bare walls are,” Deb says. Among the bigger pieces, recliners and sofas are also popular.
Working as a computer contractor for 15 years prior to opening the store, Deb had the knowledge to launch a website before many stores had an online presence. Her site features images of her current inventory, and pricing for new items is available. “If the weather is bad and someone doesn’t want to come in, they can shop online and call,” she says.
Deb left computer contracting after her third child was born; following the birth of her fourth child, she was eager to return to work. She researched stores online and took her family on a road trip to Florida to visit many of them. “I wanted to see what I wanted to do, as well as what I didn’t want to do,” she says. In Florida, she discovered the Ashley Furniture line, which she has carried for more than 13 years. She also found she could bring her baby with her to the store, enabling her to return to work while caring for her family.
She opened her first store 14 years ago in Hartland, following that with a second location in Milford. Forced to move from her Hartland location when owners had other plans for the building, Deb checked out other locations in Hartland, as well as Howell and Brighton. “I have always loved downtown Brighton,” she says. “At the time I was disappointed we had to move, but it’s been a blessing, because our location here fits what we do so well.” Along with moving the Hartland operations to Brighton four years ago, she also closed the Milford location.
Showroom contents change daily. Consignors looking to sell small items can bring them in anytime, seven days a week. They must call ahead for furniture deliveries, and Deb needs to see a photo in advance. “I’d rather give them an idea of where we’re going to price it,” she says. “We’re fair, and we don’t overprice items. I want them to move. If we have things just sitting here, the consignors aren’t making money, and the inventory gets stale.” She accepts few consignment upholstery items, since those are difficult to clean, states Deb. Consignors receive 50 percent of the total sale and 60 percent on the total sale of items $800 or more.
Dealing with potential consignors requires tact, says Deb. If someone brings in an item she wouldn’t consider selling, she simply says “No, thank you.” “You can really hurt someone’s feelings. People have emotions tied to things, whether or not they have any resale value,” she says. The industry has changed as the population ages; people realize they have many items considered collectibles. That has flooded the market, Deb says, which drops prices and means people won’t always get the money they hoped.
Every holiday is sale time. Deb recently wrapped up a New Year’s sale, with everything available on year-end clearance. Holidays are about the only time Deb marks down consignment items, she says, as customers generally want a certain price. She often marks down new items, typically 10 to 15 percent. Buyers also receive a 5 percent discount for paying cash.
Deb believes in actively participating in the community and has supported Pregnancy Helpline, which offers free parenting sessions for men and women. Two other non-profits close to her heart are Love Inc. and Habitat for Humanity, which both supply items to people in need. If a consignor has an item that doesn’t sell and wants to donate it, Deb sends the items to those charities. “They help local families – that’s why we support them,” she says.
If you have found this story interesting, informative or inspiring, please let Deb know! You can contact her at 810-225-8633; visit Our Place to Yours at 203 West Main Street, Brighton, Mich.; email her at ourplacetoyours@gmail.com; or visit the website at ourplacetoyours.com.
