Out of a modest 8,000 square feet, Carol Bell and Tamara Scott-Anderson run a furniture store that exemplifies the personal touch.

Most of the sales through their Contents Interiors store come from special orders as they and their design staff work with clients to choose fabrics, leathers and finishes.

The duo has six full-time employees and two part-timers. All have some experience in interior design, said Scott-Anderson, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

Contents promotes its Masterplan Interior Design Service as a way for consumers to gain confidence in their buying decisions and gain satisfaction in their finished rooms.

“Choosing home furnishings for a whole house or even a single room which reflect your individual taste and lifestyle can be challenging,” the company explains on its Web site. “Sometimes the pieces you like are hard to envision in the space you are decorating. Will the sizes work together and the colors complement?”

Bell and Scott-Anderson say they encourage customers to discuss their desires and goals with the service team.

“We will work with you in our showroom or in your home as much or as little as you desire,” said Scott-Anderson. “We can help incorporate favorite pieces you already own, make a few suggestions, and bring some fresh ideas together to create a space plan that will take the uncertainties out of those important buying decisions.”

“Our designers will ask questions to help identify your preferences and take time to learn a little about your lifestyle,” said Bell. “We incorporate that information plus a little imagination into a graphic space plan, reflecting the look and the budget that works for you.”

Many of the goods on its Web site list the manufacturer as the Contemporary Home Collection, which is the branded line of goods from the Contemporary Design Group, a national buying group for retailers that Contents joined in 1985.

Because of its Arizona location, the retailer also carries Southwestern styles and other locally popular looks, such as Tuscan and Spanish colonial. Handmade goods come from local woodworkers and metal smiths; some accessory items feature mesquite, a wood native to Arizona.

Bell said the selection focuses on better and best products, and the clientele tends to be more mature with incomes in the middle and upper range. The store doesn’t offer a huge selection, said Bell, but many items have multiple SKUs thanks to options. Sofas start around $1,600 and can go to $4,000.

Linda and Ken Smalley opened Contents Interiors in 1979, using money they received for college graduation. Scott-Anderson worked for the Smalleys for eight years before moving on to another job. Bell was the store manager five years ago when the couple chose to retire from the furniture industry. They told Bell that she could have the option of helping close the store or she could buy it from them.

Knowing she couldn’t buy the store and run it alone, she turned to her friend Scott-Anderson. In less than a month, the women put together a business plan and got financial backing. In March 2002, they opened the new Contents Interiors in the heart of Tucson’s Fort Lowell furniture district.

Going beyond selling furniture, the store reaches out to the community with fun and informative workshops. On Nov. 2, the retailer hosted a seminar on decorating for the holidays with such techniques as fashioning homemade bows.

The company also will take part in an upcoming home show home in an exclusive gated community in Tucson. Street of Dreams has produced 75 display homes throughout the country and drawn more than 3 million visitors to them.

Contents toured the contemporary home set for the upcoming show and devised a furnishings strategy. The home and all its furnishings will be available for purchase when it opens March 15. Bell said the retailer took part in a similar project in 1998, and the house buyers loved the furnishings so much they bought 80% of the merchandise.

source :www.furnituretoday.com