Economic Effects Spotty on Interior Design
The economic doldrums that have hampered most industries aren't stopping some local interior design businesses from expanding. Interiors By Kurtinitis in Columbia Tusculum (Ohio) has invested about $800,000 to $1 million to boost the size of its store along Columbia Parkway to about 14,000 square feet, doubling its size and showroom space to display everything from complete bedroom settings and sell more home accessories.
J.W. Fleckenstein, designer at Interiors By Kurtinitis, said the store's expansion started about a year before the economic downswing, but also was continued so the store could be prepared when the economy turns around. Fleckenstein owns the business with Marianne Kurtinitis, president of Interiors By Kurtinitis.
The expansion comes as some other local interior design firms have restructured or downsized. The House of France closed its Montgomery store May 23, said co-owner Bill France. He said that location was closed because it was too close to a newer and larger 9,000-square-foot retail location the business will continue to operate in Oakley.
France said more businesses - including interior designer stores, automobile dealerships and jewelry stores - that sell big-ticket, luxury and discretionary items could be forced to downsize or closed over the next year.
The latest data for interior design services, which includes everything from consulting firms to stores that sell home accessories, show sales were $11.5 billion in 2008, down from $12 billion in 2007, said George Van Horn, senior analyst at IBIS World, a Los Angeles-based industry research firm.
Nationally, the numbers would indicate there is a lot of churn in the interior design business, Van Horn said.
Source: Excerpt from Cincinnati Enquirer 6/1/09