Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Cann.
Chris, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I did not wake up one morning and say, “I have an idea for a new way to consign furniture”. No. My business idea morphed organically over the past eight years. It started when a dear friend who was an interior designer was getting divorced. She wondered what to do with an expansive home full of higher end (too nice to donate) furnishings? I told her I could help her sell it all online. She couldn’t believe people would buy her gently used furnishings! At the time, she said if it was in the 3rd garage bay, it was for sale, so I began to call the business “THE-Bay” (like eBay). Nonetheless, we succeeded in selling most of the items they could no longer use, including a motorcycle!
Well, she told two friends, then she told two friends, and so on…..and one day, I found myself knocking on the door of someone I’d never met before, and that’s when I knew my hobby of selling furniture had officially become a business! Next came the website, Instagram, and some part-time sales help. In 2012, I took on about one home consignment project per quarter. In 2019, we were in over 50 homes across Buckhead.
The business model is very similar to residential real estate, but rather than sell the home, we sell the contents of the home! Ours is a very discreet, personalized, service-oriented business. We represent both buyers and sellers of higher end furnishings. We help sellers who may be downsizing, renovating, downsizing their marriage, etc. who have finer furnishings they no longer have a need or the space for. As for the buyers, we maintain an extensive wish list. Often times we can connect a buyer to a seller based simply upon what we know our buyers are seeking.
We do not have a bricks and mortar location; all the inventory stays within the home until it sells. The seller never has to lift a finger or pay a mover! It’s a comfort for our clients who typically find themselves surrounded by the stress of moving, packing or renovating. As for the buyers? Savy shoppers know they can procure items from the finest manufacturers but at a fraction of the retail cost! Younger shoppers who have good taste, but maybe not the budget to support it, know they can furnish a room or a home on trend and on budget!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have a contract for all my consignors to review before we start a project. That contract is full of bullet points that I call “learning opportunities”; or clauses aimed at preventing something from happening. In other words, I have learned some things the hard way, and each time I learn something new, it becomes an added clause in the contract. For example, I once had a buyer for a sideboard at a beautiful high rise location on Peachtree. As always, I was in contact with the homeowner about our plans to be on site to take a look at the piece. As we were literally en route to the building, I called the homeowner to give him our ETA. That’s when he proclaimed that just last night, he agreed to give the item to his daughter, so it was no longer for sale!!! EEK. It was frustrating and embarrassing, but luckily the buyer was a friend, and she wasn’t upset!
I’ve had a few physical struggles along the way too. Moving furniture isn’t always the easiest task even for the most professional and experienced moving companies around! One client bought a lovely sofa for her new apartment, but once her mover delivered it, they realized it was just too big to make the tight turn at the only door to the unit. He left! And left her sofa in the hallway of the apartment! She called me in a panic, unsure of what to do now, knowing anything we came up with was going to result in added cost and possibly a total loss on the sofa! (We have a “final sale” policy, so returning it wasn’t an option). But, luckily, we have relationships with some of the most talented and creative movers in Atlanta! I called Jeremiah, and within an hour, he had moved the sofa out of the hallway, out to the pool deck and hoisted it up over the pool house, over the balcony, and through the sliding glass doors of my client’s second floor apartment! And he did it for next to nothing; just a nice guy helping a nice gal!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Re-Find Furniture – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Re-Find Furniture is an in-home furniture consignment business. We are known for procuring some of the finest furnishings from some of the most beautiful homes across Buckhead. We are known for reasonable prices and great customer service. We’re on site every step of the process; we show the furniture and are there to supervise the move as well. The homeowner doesn’t even have to be there! Our buyers become our friends. We learn their taste and their budget, and we keep them in mind each time we embark on a new consignment project.
My partner, Martha Wyant and I are both moms of teens and college age kids. We collectively have over 40 years in retail and marketing experience. We’re established within our various communities, including private schools, clubs, charity organizations and our churches. There’s really no other company doing what we do. Some have tried but lacked the connections and reputation to maintain a decent pipeline of inventory.
I wish I could take full credit for the success of this business, but I can’t. I actually have an incredibly gracious husband who has continued to support, counsel and challenge me as this business has evolved over time. I am also just blessed. I truly believe God is at the helm every step of the way! I wish I had a dime for every time someone says to me, “why didn’t I think of that’? or “where were you ten years ago when we downsized”? I’m most proud of the fact that the majority of our business growth comes by word of mouth. We work very hard on behalf of our homeowners. They become like family because we’re on site daily for the duration of the consignment process. We’re often entrenched in the emotional wave of packing up a life-long family home, or there to celebrate the successful real estate closing! As a result, our consignor satisfaction turns into referrals, and we are very grateful for that.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
If 2020 continues on the economic roller coaster ride, there’s no telling what our future holds. Home sales may increase drastically. Or people may need to stay put, but decide to redesign their current surroundings. People may need to purchase things, but need to find a less expensive way to do it. Re-Find Furniture can survive in all these scenarios. When the market rebounds and home sales pick back up, I’d love see this business grow to keep up with demand and serve more communities. That expansion would involve adding human-power in a variety of roles to support our growth. I also envision establishing a greater relationship with the residential real estate industry. There’s synergy there, I just need to tap into that group and clearly explain how we can help!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.re-findfurniture.com
- Phone: 404-213-5018
- Email: info@re-findfurniture.com
- Instagram: _refindfurniture
- Facebook: @refindfurnitureatlanta
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