Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Shroyer.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
This journey began in the summer of 2018.
After many years of working for other interior design and furniture retailers, I decided there was something more that I wanted to do.
In August 2018, I filled out paperwork to get my business license and resale certificate. I only planned to run my business on the side when I had free time. At the time, I had left my previous employer for another position. I worked at the new job for a day only to realize it wasn’t the right fit.
At that time, I felt like I made a bad decision in leaving my previous employer. But I still felt like there was something more that I wanted to do.
I remember when I first started, I reached out to as many people as I knew to see if they would be interested in my design services. I had absolutely no idea how to run a business or how a business even worked. It was more so something I had always dreamed about doing and having than actually doing and having one.
I remember it took about a month or so for someone to reach out to me about ordering a custom cabinet. This is where it all began.
I worked out of my house for quite some time until the early hours of the next morning trying to make something happen. It was all I really had at the time. For some reason, I never truly felt worried, but I still never realized what I was capable of doing. Granted, a lot of this was not possible without the many people who helped me along the way.
I remember in 2019 I signed a lease for a retail and studio space. It took quite some time to get through the build-out and opening of the space. There were many things, including personal life things, that held me back. It took almost a year to complete the space where it was suitable to move in. I remember at that time, COVID had began and businesses were closed. Although the design and construction industry was considered essential, it still gave me pause in what I should be doing. I was so worried about business. But within a month, things started to move again. However, it took a while to receive products for the showroom in order to get things set up.
Moving to the end of 2020, I had a gut feeling about a space I had been watching for a while. I was in Atlanta in January 2021 for an accessories and design show and I came back with this gut feeling about having to call about a space. I called and found out it was available, but I needed to sign a lease that weekend as someone else had been looking at the space. I signed the lease in less than 24 hours not realizing what I was doing or what it would take to make this giant leap.
Ironically, the building I signed a lease on was the same building I had worked in for 4 1/2 years. Sadly, that business had went out of business after it was acquired by a new owner.
I now have a store in the same building I worked in. It’s kind of crazy how things work. It’s like it comes full circle.
There have been many things I have had to go through to get to where I am today. It hasn’t been easy and I think what I would tell many people who have an entrepreneurial spirit is to just keep going. Figure it out along the way. I still sometimes have no idea what I’m doing. Ask for help and guidance. It is okay to fumble and cry and lean on someone.
But when you really go for it and give it your all, you would be surprised how many things can go your way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a business is not easy. It is also not for everyone. It takes guts and brains and most of all, it takes heart.
Some of the biggest struggles along the way have been trying to believe in myself. Sometimes when things go wrong, I think of the worst possible outcome or as things will crash and burn. It really isn’t that way. I think what most entrepreneurs need to understand is that being an entrepreneur is not a piece of cake.
Anyone committed to starting and running a business knows the long hours it takes to make things run and work. It takes money. Where does that come from? It takes relationships and communication. Networking is a huge thing and it must be constantly part of your life.
I have had to sacrifice many things like travel and honestly, events and friendships that I would have loved to be a part of, but there have been some other things I needed to do that I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if I hadn’t done them when I did.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Post-Moderne started as a dream. It has since become an interior design business alongside a high-end furniture retailer.
We specialize in high-end interior design and furnishings. We have only since started working with remodels and new construction, which has been quite the learning curve for me having only experience in high-end furniture.
It is something I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted an interior design firm and this is where I am working to take the company.
I believe we specialize in great customer service and relationships. I have learned throughout the years that working with the right people can take you places.
I would like the readers to know that we treat each person who works with us with a very personal approach. I think what many businesses sometimes forget is that people are still people, whether they are customers or clients. Even if they never purchase a thing from us, I want someone who comes into the design shop to feel as though they could always come back for a chat. That’s one thing I love about the business, that is being around people.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is how simple life was. I grew up in the 90s and we lived a very simple life.
We grew up in Florida as well as Iowa and it seemed like time moved so slowly then. We would be outside throwing rocks or swimming in the pool until 11 pm.
We grew up on a small farm in Iowa with chickens and turkeys and horses. We had so many of our own fruits and vegetables and I enjoyed being outside. It was a great time to spend with family.
Contact Info:
- Website: postmodernedesign.com
- Instagram: postmodernedesign
