Drivers entering or exiting 285 at Cascade Road are accustomed to cruising past gas stations and vacant lots, but last month, a new structure caused many of them to hit the brakes.
What had once been the vacant lot of a Chevron gas station, now had linen drapes billowing from concrete pillars. Chenille covered accent chairs with nailheads sat at the entrance of the former mini-mart. Behind the glass garage door where cars would line up for a wash stood neat arrangements of mirrors, paintings, and dining tables.
Rite at Home had arrived.
"People thought we were crazy," said Lamont Bynum, who co-owns the furniture consignment and interior design boutique with Milton Miller. Skeptics wondered why they would build an upscale home store in an area of southwest Atlanta more associated with urban blight than urban bling. "This is a great location. Southwest Atlanta is a community of possibility and we are part of that," said Bynum who lives in the area.
Opening day in mid-May drew a crowd of hundreds. They piled into the store, browsing the dining tables, custom chairs, settees, decorative pillows and more. Miller and Bynum were surprised to sell so much of their inventory in one day. Many shoppers were from the area, but some were highway travelers from other states who stopped to see what the commotion was about.
It was beyond anything they had imagined years ago when a friend introduced Bynum, 36, and Miller, 35, of Macon. Miller is a chiropractor. Bynum worked in the hotel industry. Both did interior design projects on the side. For Miller, it was a natural fit. He had worked in his family's event planning business and always seemed to be designing something.
Bynum, a certified interior decorator, also had design in his blood. The women in his family sold Home Interior & Gifts (now Celebrating Home) -- a direct sales home decorating business -- and they competed to create the best looking showcases. When Bynum later worked in the hotel industry, he was often the one running out to furniture stores to stage the lobby and rooms when furniture shipments were delayed.
Together, they launched MillerBynum Interior Design, and began working with clients across the metro area. Though their styles differ -- Miller is the eclectic one, Bynum the more conservative -- it served them well with clients. "They get the opportunity to work with yin and yang," Bynum said referring to their complementary styles. "We fight all the time but we work well together."
Many would-be clients thought they couldn't afford MillerBynum services, but from the start the duo planned to serve a range of budgets. Their projects have been as small as a $1,500 room redesign to $45,000 for designing a large home. They also offer a $750 service that provides recommendations on furniture placement, window treatments, paint and more. All consultations are free for 30 minutes, then cost $75 per hour.
They soon realized, regardless of where their clients lived, they were always driving to the same areas to source items. They knew it was time to take a leap.
Using proceeds from their design business, they purchased the old gas station and the ranch style house directly behind it, to open a home decor boutique. They decided to focus on upscale consignment. "We wanted to keep furniture out of landfills and we wanted to keep fine furniture in our community," Bynum said. They also offer custom furniture including Miller's ergonomically designed chairs. Items began to flow in from excited clients. In just 45 days, Rite at Home was ready to open.
Knetta Lilly of Camp Creek who has worked in interior design for nine years, was one of the first consignors. She had fine furniture stored in her garage that she had not been able to sell. In one week, it sold at Rite at Home and the store became Lilly's new resource. Previously, she had shopped in Buckhead or Alpharetta in search of quality furniture given the limited options on the south end of town. "[Miller and Bynum] have become like mentors for me," said Lilly. "I have been learning different things seeing how they put this [store] together."
Store merchandise ranges from $10 pillows to $2,500 for a 96-inch high back custom chair. There is a little bit of everything else in between. A burgundy and cream striped settee is $400, tan dining chairs are $300 each, side tables from a Buckhead store that retail for $2,000 each cost $899 at Rite at Home. Consignors receive 60 percent of the sale price. The store takes 40 percent.
Already, Miller and Bynum have been approached by other businesses interested in staging events at the space, and they are making plans to expand the shop into the house on the hill.
On any given day, they are in and out of the store, running to meet a growing roster of design clients, but when they are at the boutique, Bynum and Miller offer up a taste of homemade baked goods along with a warm greeting to all who venture inside.
"When they walk in, we say ‘Welcome home'", said Bynum, "and they say, ‘Welcome to the neighborhood.'"
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