The Boys

S1:Ep19 : A Joyful Conversation with Paxton Home

• Jeremy Rice • Season 1 • Episode 19

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In this episode, The Boys sit down and chat with Paige and Amy from Paxton Home, which is a wonderful Home Furnishings store located in Lexington, KY.  We discuss both the JOYS and struggles of a running a small business, and what keeps us going, THE CUSTOMERS!  And the JOY that we bring to each other!

Find Paxton Home on instagram @paxtonhome
Paxton Website:  www.paxtonhome.com 

Call or Text our Hotline and leave a message : 18594121572
Download our Mobile Shopping App

Store Instagram:@housebyjsd
Online Store Instagram: @housefloral
Facebook: House by JSD

Shop Online @ Housefloral.com

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

There is not enough estrogen in this podcast. I mean, you would think with me and Stuart alone, we'd be okay, but

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Meow!

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

we have some additional help today, but yeah, thanks for being late today, Dwayne. So it sounds like it's already been a

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

thank you.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Uh, it's all to do with trash, and it's not you two, so there

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

just as

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, we live out in the country and, apparently I have figured out that my family is part of the, uh, world trash problem because we had a compactor in the said compactor has broken about a month ago and I just can't ever quite get fixed or order one. But to order a new one, there's only two companies make it, it's a thousand dollars for this trash compactor. And I keep thinking maybe I can get a new switch on it. It's 17 years old and she real tired. But, uh, we probably have a bag of trash a day and, uh, rump can not keep up with us. So

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

are

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

my. We are trashy. We really are. So I had to get trash outta the house'cause I'm trying to clean the basement.'cause the parents and parents didn't coming the 4th of July. So there's your story. So it was all, I'm late because of trash.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

litter, you're all, you're

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Litter. Littering.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Yeah.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, listeners this morning, um, who we keep referring to is Amy and Paige. So we actually have guests who are joining us today. So we're doing our first time ever chat with, with other bitches beyond us, because Surely there's somebody more interesting to talk than we, or at least Dwayne to drone on. I don't know. I don't know. So give me one second and I will add them to the queue.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Good morning.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

ha!

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

look at that. Look at

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh my god, you got dressed? Ha ha ha ha ha ha

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

at the office.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

I want to go ahead and say, um, Amy, I don't appreciate how cute your background is this morning, but I think for what Paige told me is that you're on this thing all the time doing like things like this. So I guess you have to have a pretty background. If you look at the rest of us, we're hot ass mess. Maybe not

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

in my

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

have the cool equipment though.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, you know, it looks cool, but it's a mess. something here.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

is over there padding his microphone. What the hell are you doing?

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

I just wanna make sure, I just wanna make sure it works. So. Hey guys, I was late because of trash and it's not you too. I'm talking about

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

No, they could hear, they could hear everything you were saying.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Oh, oh, okay. Well nevermind. I'll repeat it

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

We

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

please don't repeat it because we will hear it five times at this store.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

We had trash issues yesterday too. We were actually calling Rumpke yesterday. So, we're there.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, Rump gets it right at my house. It's me just doing too much trash. So there you go, but that's okay. And I have to say the windows are rolled down on my daddy's 1992, four or no, as a Toyota, uh, and the trash is literally still sitting in the car with the windows down because I like, if I was two more minutes late, these bitches would get me. So I got to go. So now. Can you see this? This is also my lunch sitting here because I like, I didn't even stop to go to the refrigerator. I'm telling you I'm coming.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Oh,

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

ladies.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

good morning.

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

these are the, um, the head bitches in charge, if you will, of Paxton home, like they are Paxton

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

they are Paxton. Yes,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Oh

jeremy_1_06-27-2024_090842:

so in our area, they are, what happened? You know, instead of us trying to explain it, why don't one of you explain what you are and then we'll, we'll get into some fun

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Mom, you wanna go?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Sure. Who we are, what we are. I'm Amy Mellinger. I'm the mom of the group and Paige is my daughter and we started Paxton Home about six years ago out of a kind of a desire I'd always had. I went to UK for interior design and never practiced it. I had to go make a real living and pay for a car and I had no job. So, I got into real estate, uh, very early in my career. And so, commercial world has a lot of design aspects involved in that. And I always thought when I retired, I would have my own store, go do travel Europe and get antiques and all

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

do it. Don't do it.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I know, I know, travel Europe, do all these fun things, put it in this cool, like, airplane hanger. I had this whole idea. I have yoga back in the back, had all these ideas to do all this cool stuff. And then Paige was in Nashville working on a record label and doing artist, um, promotion. And she was the marketing person. And I thought I can pick beautiful things, but I won't have one person there. So we just started collaborating on this idea. So I'm still working full time, so I can't do a store full time. It was a small space and, uh, she's, she's really taken it and run it and grown the business.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Yeah, so you all have a retail story so listeners what makes what is completely different about their we're gonna say model, right? I think this probably fair is that it is you're open one weekend a month, correct? So like a is it Saturday Sunday,

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Nine hours a month.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

correct? So Not which I

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

not that not that you're counting

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

for most people that own a store, I would think that that sounds like the dream. However, I also know how many hours it takes ahead of time to get all the stuff ready for all those people to come in. It's not like it's any less time. I had never heard of this kind of business model before. Um, how is this, was this just like out of necessity or is this, Like Stuart Dwayne, had you ever heard of like a business like this? Cause I'd never heard of one.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Oh, not at all. Not at all. No new. New to me,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

no, I mean because when they first opened I was like who does bitch open in a business I gotta go over there and check it out. So I did And then Paige and I became friends and then I realized that Amy was her mother and we became friends. And so yeah. Paige, tell us, tell us how that came about. ha

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

She had always wanted to open an antique store and you know, travel, gather all these things. She's also been in, she does commercial real estate, but she's been in property management for how many years mom, or how many were you?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

about

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

years. So she was tied to these horrible hours that she had to be there.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

By the way, she does, she does not look 30 years old. So screw you, Amy. Um, keep going.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

So her whole thought on the antique store was, I'm just going to open it when I want to open it and people can come shop. Didn't have the one week in a month idea, but just wanted it on her terms and not tied to retail hours. And, uh, which I think you all can appreciate. It's hard. So,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Yes.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I, I lived in Nashville. I moved down there halfway through college. I started interning at a record label, worked at a record label, for about five years down there in marketing. And I mean, I learned so much and what I learned is marketing is marketing. You just take what you learn and apply it to whatever thing you're trying to market. So whether it be a record or a couch, it's the same process. So. I tell like one of the last meetings I was ever in down there was this huge marketing meeting with Luke Bryan and Luke Bryan had been everywhere. I mean, you went to Walmart, he was on the end cap. You wanted to see him in tour. You could go to 10 places within driving distance. There was a new song out every month. And I remember sitting in that meeting and they said, we're pulling back. They said, he's too accessible. We can reach him anytime. And we need people to want him because right now they can get him anywhere. So that was one of the last meetings I had in Nashville and I had no clue what I wanted to do. I was back in Lexington. There's no music industry here. There's no record label here. I love design. My grandmother owned an antique store when my mom was growing up. My mom has her design degree. So I've been around it. We moved, my mom and I, growing up, I moved 12 times. Because she was always flipping a house, redoing a house, getting the itch, needed to, you know, move again, redo everything again. So I'd seen the process my whole life, and I was living in her basement, that's what she really wants me to tell you. She wanted me out of her basement, so I needed a job.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I wasn't gonna share that.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

So I needed a

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

we've all been there. We've all

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

So we just combined forces. She truly was upstairs with my stepdad talking about this. She needed to get her design age out because they hadn't moved. They stayed in that, how long were you in your last house?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

10 years, which broke

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

So that broke the record and she,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

but I was probably gonna be divorced.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

She needed to do something and she was on this design track. And so she brought me upstairs and said, would you want to do this with me? And she said what she just told you all, I could have the prettiest store in the world, but I couldn't get a customer there. And so the hardest part for me was we didn't have, I knew when we were opening, but we didn't have any furniture yet. So for about six months, I'm trying to market something that I don't even. I can't go take pictures of it. I didn't have anything. So I just, I,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

we had a logo.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

our logo and I, I made an Instagram account and I started doing, I posted stock image, logo, stock image, logo. I just wanted to beat that logo over everybody's head, stock image, logo, stock image, logo. And, uh, When you looked at our Dwayne, that's what it was. Cause honestly, it was just filler because I didn't have anything to post. But when we opened the first time we had a thousand followers and I thought we were just big time. I was like, wow, I got us to a thousand followers and we didn't even have anything. And there was a line of people out the door. And my, my family is in, uh, print marketing. Like they do mailers and that kind of thing. And I was like, we don't have money to do that. I just got to do Instagram. And, uh, it worked.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

was

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

It worked. So it was a

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

definitely is something about the mystery, because I remember when you all started, like, seeing all the posts, there was like this, like, behind the curtain, now hearing this, it was kind of like doing what you had to do to get through, right? But

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Isn't that small

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

It definitely built, like, excitement and, uh,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, it comes to the epitome of this one is

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

truth. A hundred percent

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Right. Right.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

this, your eyes behind the curtain and you've turned it into something. That's, that's pretty amazing story. It's like, we are going to make this happen. It was like,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

and that first store was how many square feet? That

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

1, 500 because that's all we can afford.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

right. And you are now in how many square feet? Right. And how many years was that?

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

It's been six years.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

be

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Yeah, we actually started in July. So next month is six.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Well, happy early

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Oh, thanks.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

We kind of have the same kind of story where we started in 600 square feet, and now we're

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

That's amazing

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

we, we understand exactly, like, starting small, doing what you got, and then going, you know, having to

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

when you were in your first location, it was on my way to work and I would plan just 15 minutes to go in there and see what you would put out. And you know, Jeremy, you were doing the videos on how to decorate your banister for Christmas. I mean, I still look at that when I'm putting my Christmas stuff out. So you guys have done it. You guys have done a remarkable job and started way ahead of us.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

I'm glad you planned 15 minutes because it only took 6 to get through the store. So, at that time, ha ha ha ha ha ha

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

wasn't

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

looking at every detail

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Dwayne,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, thank you.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

So guys, you, uh, you said that you work nine days a month, right? Nine hours. How much do you work as a general rule daily?

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I mean i'm supposed to be nine to five I'm, usually there past five as you all know every day and um, it's funny this week. I actually posted it on instagram happens the day after the event? Because I get the question every weekend, you only work nine hours a month. I want your job. So I was like, you know what, I'm going to show them what a day is like. Cause it's just go, go, go. I mean, we started, we had the first semi showed up at 9am on Monday morning, the day after the event with 30 couches and sectionals. So, I mean, You just gotta be ready. I didn't, I'm calling Steve Bugg three times a day. Can you help me? Can you deliver something? Can you, you know, get this stuff moved around for me? So, um,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Well, and you guys know, I mean,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

want to get across. You are not working nine hours. Uh, you're working every day Eight hours a day ten hours a

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

right. And the

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

It's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

and then,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

It's just a different way to work

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

yeah, there are a lot of weekends we're over there setting the floor, you know, in the middle of the day and nobody, we can't get help and Dwayneant Art, heck, we were out there the past few months, you know, working half a days on Saturdays and she's doing marketing stuff in the evening at night and that's, that's just being an entrepreneur. You guys know that it doesn't stop. And then there's payroll

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

you got to do to make it happen

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Well, no one's going to The ultimate truth is when you own a business, no one's gonna work as hard as you do to make it happen. And so it's really hard to relinquish some things to have somebody else do it. Or to find someone that will do it like you would do it, or have the commitment to do it right. So it's just, it's very hard. The three of us

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, right. Managing the expectation of

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

you're the more difficult of the three.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

the more difficult?

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

the more

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

just saying. Oh, yeah.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

that is a totally different podcast, Dwayne.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Look, look, Stuart, you know, he cannot, he's had a hard time letting go of anything. He's doing better, right?

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Yeah, that's true. That's true.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

is true. Look, you have to

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Oh, I know that. I've never denied it. When I find somebody who can do it right, I'll give it to them.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Wow.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

we get a lot of our kids too from, uh, like some Christian ministries on campus. And so it's a lot of college kids. So summer, we got a plethora of kids. Then the school year comes around and it's either they're,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, how cute is that?

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Right,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

could not hire anybody from the Christian school because they would

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Oh, I don't

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Right, Jeremy?

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

My mouth has a mind of its

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

to post the F U

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

and it's part of my charm. I don't know what to tell you. Most people find me endearing. So, you know Amy, we know that you ever had this huge like design it, which is so funny because anybody who is, well, I don't think it's funny. It's just, it's the commonality of anyone who does what we do, right? That's some like, there is an itch, right? Like, there's like, if you don't have that outlet to do something creative, it will almost drive you insane until you do. So what do you think is like your underlying, like, Um, go go juice. Like, what is your, like, and where the hell I pulled that from, I don't know, but, um, what, what

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I just hope I have it.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

well, listen, it's 926. We're lucky. I'm, we're rolling. I'm rolling at this point. I don't, there's not much go go juice over here, but like, what's your, like, what feeds your inspiration? Like, what keeps you going?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I think anytime you have a passion for something, let me back up, I think I have a passion for something because I believe God hardwired me this way. And everybody is made uniquely in His image. And they are made and created for a purpose. And my purpose I love, I love people, and at my age, which I'm definitely the oldest on this podcast, I love to pour into other people, and my passion is doing that, and through the kids, I call them the kids at the store, but if it's design related, I love it. I don't care if it's landscape design, interior design, architecture, and if I have free time, I either want to be studying something about that, or being outside and in God's nature because it's an inspiration for what you do every day. And so it's not work for me. It's a passion for me. I love it. Working in the store, setting the floor is work. You know, I wish I'd pick jewelry. We say this all the time. Couldn't we have sold jewelry? No, we're doing sectionals, but you know, work is work at the end of the day. But if you're passionate about something, It just is a natural extension of what, of what you do. And you could give, I can, you could drop me in a, in a city. And the first thing I'm going to do is head to a museum, you know, or go see a show and, and learn about history of that area. And I love anything design related like Charleston,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

So

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, you know what you are, Amy? You know what you are? You're my kind, nice version,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

that's what I was thinking. I was like, she's the female nice version of you. Ha ha ha ha ha.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

you said as far as passion and people and

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

it is,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

your DNA and you just, it just, it's not about you sit there and obsess over it, but it's just in you. And if you don't, right. And when you said that, he's like, you said it in the most articulate way that I've never been able to say it, but it was like, preach it, girl, just preach it, preach it, preach it. Because this is exactly what I feel. And it's ultimately for me, it starts with idea. I just like people. Right. I like people. And then the rest of it kind of just flows out. And I love that what you just said. That's beautiful. That's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

But when you all design, you're designing for people. You're making their home and their environment better. And you know, they need your help. They need your expertise. And when they go home, I mean, I have something that you designed, Jeremy, we don't even know that you did for me on, on my side door where everybody comes in my home and it's out there. Paige knows that the, you know, the, um, basket with all the florals in it. And every time I walk in there, I think about your store. I couldn't create that. You could create that. And it's something you could do with your eyes closed. I could never do it, but I enjoy it every single day. So what you, me. But it's true. But what you do in people's homes, they enjoy. It's a gift. And, um, there's nothing like your own nest, you

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

think our, like, that goes back to our goal of like our whole point of like what we do. Like, I don't know if we knew this initially getting, getting to do it. Cause I think the three of us, um, you know, when the business was created, it was kind of like out of necessity at the moment. Um, and we worked really hard, but what, what we did.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

We got fired.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

got fired. Um, and, um,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

All of us. Bye.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

but what, what the, the three of us, when we started working together, we, we really connected on many different levels, but I think one of the ones was like just the word joy. Like the three of us just had a really good time one together. And then what really, then I think made it like. Explode exponentially is really trying to share that with others. And so like, that brings me joy to know that something that we created is on your door and you still have that, like,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

And my trees.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

but that you still have that joy when you see it, right? Like that's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

people do connect you with that.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Yeah, they, they

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

And I hope they, do. that with us when they buy a sofa or whatever that we help them pick or help them get the pillows to go on it. And I hope when they sit down on it, there's some connection that we didn't want to just sell something. We wanted to add value. something to their home that was the right thing. And so many times we'll talk people out of doing something. We're like, you've got to go home and measure, or you've got to come back with this fabric. You can't just pick this out and go home with this today because we want them happy

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Yeah,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

or come back next month. We don't have the right thing. We'll be here next

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

so Dwayne your mom seems like she has like the the never ending gogo juice. Do you have that

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I mean,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

I do not

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

she's, she's nice. she's also the nicer version of me, Dwayne, but I mean, we, we work really well together. We are

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Hey, you don't think I knew that, right? You don't you think I couldn't figure that out? Hmm.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

got to be, you got good cop, bad cop, but we work really well together. And I mean, We have fun going to market together. We, that's, there was one of the questions, I know we're not really doing the questions, but was, you know, how we, you know, how do we, what was the hardest and easiest thing of the business and us going to market, we didn't know how that was going to go. I'm like, do we like the same things? What do we want this store to look like? 99 percent of the time we both thumbs up the same things and the same things we see get us excited and that's we do just Buy from the heart. I would love to tell you we have a great game plan But if one of us doesn't like something we're just like, okay, we're gonna pass on it I'm too far, you know out there, but I mean our target market has turned into Me and mom like our age groups is who comes into the store So it's kind of nice to have the mix of what she loves and what I love in there So

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

That is one of the questions That I had sent you about, about that, how you put that stuff together. And that's because that's what we do when we're at market and then, you know, there's three of us. So add, add another person to that mix. A long time ago. Cause how many markets is this now? Is this 29 years of market for

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

this is 20 well 20 years for the three of us Ha Ha ha ha ha

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

So it's just like, well, you know, you can only look at that stuff so many times before you find something, find that jewel somewhere in there. But we buy the same way. It's like, we will, if two say yes. We're getting it. If to say no, we walk on and then Dwayne goes back and tries to add it to the order. And then when I actually get that, then when I get the physical order, I cancel it anyway, because he won't remember he

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

That's amy if you're

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

you know, yeah, yeah,

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I see her walking with the rep behind me and i'm like

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

yeah,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

What are you talking about? We, we do agree. We do agree.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

you know, it's funny when you, when you're, when you work with people that you care about that, you have to check your ego and it's like a constant. Ego check. I guess I'll say it that way. But I think all the three of us, I think that we're on similar Dwaynes most of the time, but like, you can't get caught too caught up in it. Like you have to be open and listen. And it's, it's very interesting, especially when you work well, you know, we, we weren't, aren't blood related, but when y'all got, when you got mama, you can't piss off mama So,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

No, but I think that's, I think that's the magic, especially in your, in your situation. I have three different perspectives because if I made every decision, the store would not look nearly as well. And it's the same with you guys. When you have three people coming at it from three different perspectives, you're working on different projects probably too. You know, different areas of the business that you're thinking about and I think it's a fresh thing and a lot of times when we go to market, I cannot wait to get there because, you know, I've been in commercial real estate world so much and Paige is in the store every single day. So it's like if you work in the ice cream store, do you want ice cream at night? I'm dying for a big sundae. I can't wait to get there. Um, so I'm passionate and I'm like, look at this, look at this. I want to buy this. So we do have to kind of reel it in if, if, if anything, because sometimes we have a tendency to overbuy and that's probably because of me,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

guilty over here. Sweet love.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

then it all comes in and she deals with

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

you know what Sofa?

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

There's a, there's definitely a common thread that we're figuring out as you have you tell your story because part of what just stood out. It's like, we don't know what we're doing and we're making it work. If you're just fly by the sea of our

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Well, you have

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

And everything's that you have this. Well, everything's you got, it's all planned out and all thought out was like, no, if you don't listen to your heart,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Right. right.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

your gut, if you don't have an instinct, it doesn't matter how much you plan it out, how much you think it out, how much you market it, how much you've got the great location. If you don't listen to your gut and say, yeah, this works or no, it doesn't work, right? There's the voices there. This is true in life, right? We can get deep into it, but the voices are there. If you're willing to listen to, if it's God talking to you or ever, how you wanted to find the voice, right? It's there if you're willing to listen to it. And most people aren't. And I think truly not to get into the deep woods of it, but truly successful business owners. And I'm not going to lump us into that, by the way, you guys, um, successful business owners, uh, you trust what your heart's telling you to do. Right.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

But you also have,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

makes no sense at all.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

you're right, you're right, but you also have to work with it and think of the biggest, I mean we've made some mistakes, any small business owner that's really going to be successful is going to take a lot of risks, because we have to. And then when we screw up, we have to fix it, and so, I think that's what makes you better,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Well, tell us about one of your biggest mistakes and

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, right, because that was that was

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

that takes so much time.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I've got, I've got a one that I really wish we could have not done. Okay, so we've been in, we've moved three times. We had the baby store, middle store, now we're in the big, I call it big store. So anyway, every day when I sit in my office, I look out the window and I see our first store. It's right across the street, which is kind of cool. So we decided we're gonna do a big sale because the the original store is now like a rental you can rent it out Like let's do a sale in our first store. That'll be so cool We can take over whatever we want to sell so they can't shop the whole store Just what we want to have on sale. Well, We probably brought over a thousand accessories and built shelves and You know, all the furniture, rented the trucks, I mean, it was a two day setup to be open. We only did it one day, so four or five hours. Well, it was successful. We sold a lot, probably half. Then what do you have to do? Take it all back.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Pack it up and Move it back.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Tear it all

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

oh, it was maybe the hardest day of my entire life, so. That one I would I will never, ever, ever do that again.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

We were setting up shelves till 11 at night. Oh, my

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

To shop little dinky trinkets for a dollar,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

you know,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Yeah, they were like 50 percent off or 60 percent off, you know. Oh, my God.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I'm certain by the time we ha we hired all Of the employees, Oh, the moving trucks, the, the mental anguish. Yes. In the hole.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Yeah, right, right

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

there are a lot of better ways

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

had to do it for up here. She had to do it for her memory.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Sidewalk sales, a

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

because I mean

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

There, there was a home accessory company that I saw that did like little, um, surprise boxes. And so they would put a box in and then they would put a certain dollar amount in it, and then they would just mark it, you know,

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

That's a good idea.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

75% off and it was like a hundred dollars box that they sold for 25 bucks and just be

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

That's a good idea.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

That's

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

is what you got

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

We just did that. We just, with some of the leftover stuff from our last clear out, we did grab bags, you know, they're, they're stamped with our stuff. There's like at least three accessories in each bag. It was at least a hundred dollars in every bag. And we sold a bag for 10 bucks.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

All right

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

We

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

noted.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

somebody came in and bought. Yeah. A lady came in and bought. 15 of them. Cause she was going to go to a little girl's party and that was like her little here. It's a surprise gift from house and we just got rid of it. So it's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

But you know, but the thing is your branding is on those packages and everybody

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

is correct. Right. That's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

And that's, and that's

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

goal. It's not anybody's

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I know.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

the leftovers, but that's an easy

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

stop there. Our branding's on the package and then they open this crap up and go, Oh, it's from house.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

I hope

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh Lord.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

kicking Kung Fu figure that we

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I'm picturing things in my mind that. would be in these bags, too. I'm like they wouldn't want the bag

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Yeah.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

like like last week we got in this glass shaped hat that, uh, clear glass that has an orange colored goldfish in his belly. Now, if anybody knows, this is not something we sell. Right. And I saw it sitting on Jeremy's desk and I said, why you got that? And he said, well, we got six of them. And I said, why? And he said, I don't know. Did you, did you not order it. And I said, Jeremy, Jeremy, does this look like something I'd ever order? No. And I said, that damn Stuart. There he goes again. He said, Nope. Stuart said he didn't. order it.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Not me.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

like, every once in a while, right? Every once in a while. I still think you bought it for Kate, but I'm, you're, you're not going to own it.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh, that's probably who it is for, but, but we wouldn't have got six of them.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Minimum.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

it's your minimum, Uh, but

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

yeah, that's true.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Yeah. You got to hear that

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Flamin on

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

got to see, do you get stuff that shows up and You're

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

there was

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

like, what the hell is this?

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

the other day from mud pie. I was like, i'm pretty sure I didn't get baby clothes And usually they say, just keep them. I'm like, what am I going to do with it?

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, everybody thinks they're going to go to market and they're going to get a good deal and they're going to get something. Well, it's like you got to pay for the hotel. You got to pay for the food. And then you're going to, you want that one lamp, right? Well, you can't buy one lamp. You got to buy 12

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

It's true.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

have about 12 of one style, but you can't just

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

And then if you hit this price tier, you get free shipping. So you're going to hit that price tier. So it's just never

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

right. Or it's like, okay, we're going to spend 500 more to get free freight, but we've gone through the whole store and we don't want

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

There's nothing else. in here.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

is

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

okay. Get four of those lamps instead.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

is going

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I mean,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

my gosh, it

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

is. going through the roof and it really changed a lot of how you even, some companies you buy from because you're like, I can't afford the shipping from this company. Because if they're shipping out from California,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Yeah,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

I can't even imagine.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

brutal.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

It's uh,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Is it, is it average, does it cost you like 100 to get

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

More than, yeah.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

You have

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

know that more

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Like for a couch or a sectional, it's like 150 or 200 a piece.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Just to get to your location. I mean,

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

a sectional it's, almost 500 bucks to ship it to me or more if it's three pieces, you know It's just nuts

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Mm

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Multiple pieces,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

yeah. That's

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

It's just crazy.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Yeah, that's the one thing that I think that people who aren't involved in any kind of store retail or any kind of thing like this is that this idea of free shipping, free shipping does not exist, right? Like it's a total myth, right? And so even for our vendors, when we order stuff, oh, you get free freight. They built this into the price to get it there. They know it's going to. And so it always makes me. Um, like just my brain want to explode,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

well, let me tell you this, Jeremy. I have, I have a client, you know, a bar owning, music playing, hillbilly judge, and she's smart, right? She's smart. She said to me, it wasn't about our store, but she was talking about free shipping in general. She said, honey, I know it's not free. I know I'm paying for it. She said, but I want to be lied to. She said I just want to go ahead and be built into it She said because if I have to pay for it feels like i'm paying more for it, even though I know i'm not

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

It's mental.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

so it really has been the mindset. It's mental. It is crazy, but I know what you're doing But ultimately I think you're going to do better online if it's just I hate to say it But you have to build a little bit into it because people generally now are trained that it is free shipping Now there's some companies You know that are you know Tweaking it and it's not going to be free shipping to ship it back. For example, that's a different story. Um, but we are been trained for the last 10 years, 15 years. Oh, it's free shipping. And that's a hard battle to go against. And literally people shop with the filter on. Free shipping, right? And then you're never going to get there because you don't do that. Yeah, I learned from her from that situation. It's like, I know, I, they know they're paying for it. Not everybody does, but a lot of people do know. It's just, I can't, I can't stand to pay the extra 8 because I know, I feel like I'm getting, uh, getting

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Well, they're not paying 8 for a sofa, but you know,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

no, no, no. For a, for

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

but I think the minute I like the minimums where It's like hit a hundred bucks and it's free shipping always hit it every time It's the same as our us at market. Yeah.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

You're okay with that?

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

yeah,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

a mental thing with us too.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

well, I guess

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I do think people want to hear it.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Even know. Jeremy, do you do that on our website?

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

no, not at this point,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

and then you free shave? No.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

but it's something that I have been looking into, well, speaking online, So, I know that you are currently are selling rugs online. Are you thinking of wanting to put more stuff online? Like, and we have not had this conversation, so I'm not trying to like,

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

I am going to pick Jeremy's brain cuz you're the expert And I know how many stems come out of your place. I'm blown away. Truly you've impressed me so much. So no, I,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

It's crazy.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

just am not, I don't know. Like you said, we just are figuring it out as we go. So the online thing is overwhelming and I, I know how to do rugs. I'm good at rugs. I have that figured out and. They're easy to ship. They don't get damaged so much. You know how much stuff gets damaged when it comes and rugs don't get damaged very, very rarely. So they're kind of like my safe safety net. And then the week after our event, we do sell online. I don't have like an official website. I just put a gallery up of everything that's in stock with dimensions and people we still facilitate selling this week. But then I do a hard cutoff because as Stuart knows, cause he'll say, can I come in to the store? And I'm like, the store's already set for next month, Stuart. But we start resetting everything and getting it ready for, for next month for shoppers to come in. Cause it looks when every single inch looks totally different every month. So we have to cut it off somewhere cause I can't just sell a couch out of the middle of the store that I've already posted that someone's going to drive in from Pikeville to buy. I can't just sell it online to, you know, whoever, the week before.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

So no, what, why is it, why is it, why is that line so hard? It's fascinating because if you set the line hard, because I would

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Mom does too

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

well,

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

they're,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

creating, you're

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

they're an ultimate people pleaser.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

aesthetic, right? You're creating a certain aesthetic, and I want to look when we open that door. But then you run the risk of, well, but if I let Stuart in here, I could have sold that 3, 000 section and I may not

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

It's true.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

you're willing to run

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

it is. And,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

we do,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

what

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

well, and

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

think about it. You've got two weeks to strip that floor and reset it. Two weeks, because if we have a sale one week, we sell for a week after. We have two weeks to strip 12, 000 feet and reset it and clean it and tag it and

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

and market it. take photos of

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

to get it done.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

put it on the internet to draw in my people that are driving in hours away, I did it one time in the first baby store and the first girl that was standing in line, she'd waited in line for an hour and a half to get a chair. And she came in the door and there was a sold tag on it. I had sold it I still remember, and it had a salt tag on it and I was more, she was so upset and I, and I got it, I understood, you know, she she She had waited and,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

We were wrong.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

have done it. So I just learned my lesson. I was like, we're not, it's not fair. It was the premise of the whole thing.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

It's all XXX fault.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Damn iXXXana.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

We love XXXX.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh, OhXXX do

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

amazing.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

I did her

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

So what is your, what do you get out of like your connection with the customer? Like is this. Like I imagine that you have a lot of the same kind of like this, a lot of customers come in over and over and over. Um, and so you build a nice rapport. Like, what do, do you learn things from them? Like I'm always trying to like, I want to always like to learn, learn new things. I'm always trying to figure out a new way to learn something. And I'm not hands on with people in the front, like I used to be is there a way that you try to like get into people's like brains, needs, wants, like, what, how do you all approach that?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Well, the main part, the most fun of the whole thing is dealing with your client. And you guys have a very loyal following. And you get it. You understand it. I mean, Dwayne just referenced a client that gave him feedback that the ah ha moment went off about the shipping. They will tell you if they trust you. They will tell you what they like and what they want if they trust you and they actually think you care about it. And we do. And we tell our team every time we open the store, we have a little team huddle in the morning, prayer to kick off the weekend. And the big thing is we, I don't care if they buy anything today. I want them happier when they leave this store than when they walked in it. This is to have fun. This is an experience. They have so many options to shop on their laptop with a glass of wine at night. They can go on any, on any online. They can take a trip and travel out of town. There's a million options. You better make it special and it better be about them because if it's not, why are they going to come back? So, you know, love on them, enjoy them, listen to them. And we, it's the, we just have so much joy on that weekend because we're seeing people, we, we get, we've really built rapport up and some people come in every month and I, I can't believe we have that opportunity,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

so we work hard to, to earn that trust.

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

And I want to reiterate that because, you know, I have been in there Often, whether it's during operation hours or when it's like a hot mess express and loading a semi. So, and it feels to me the same way as customers feel when they come into our store here, because I have also brought my five year old hot mess daughter in there who has run around the place and held your all's hands and sat in your laps and taking your salespeople's time while I'm trying to show somebody something to buy it and I'm like, you know what? I couldn't do this at any other store. they they understand. They do. That sometimes, you know, you got to be a parent too, but you also got to work and you guys have taken it's like a, almost like a little safe space. I was like, okay, I know Allie's going to be fine here and I can spend some time with this person. But then, you know, in 15 minutes I got a wrangle her because y'all still got to sell stuff, you know, so.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

know what I heard? He's got some built in babysitters.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

does. When she, comes in and they're all like,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

they are, and she's the same way here in the story, you know, she'll come back and say, Daddy, I'm going to go with that girl, you know, because she forgets everybody's names. And it's like, so, you know, and it's, it's, um, it is, it's like a, it is a safe spot to shop and still do stuff, you know, and you guys created that environment.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Well, when you go into your store, you guys are always laughing. Your team's laughing. Now there's a joy filled. It's fun.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Laughing and cursing.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

but it's fun. And so people want to go around people

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

And mom's always said, Our

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

I say to Paige all the time, there's like this, I don't even know where I get these numbers are probably not right, but in my mind, there's like 5 percent of the public, you really can't screw up. They're just going to be happy with the experience and you can't really make them unhappy. There's 5 percent you really, really They're just, they're just difficult and so let's, let's focus on the 90. Let's don't get sideways on the five and it's okay. Some people, you know, if they get, if you can't make them happy, it's better that they do shop someplace else and just let them go be someone else's customer. But I believe in life, 90 percent of at least are wonderful, good people. And sometimes it's a communication thing. And as a, as an owner, you just have to call them and say, Hey, I think, I think there's a breakdown in communication. How can we learn from this? How can we make it better and apologize and own it regardless if it was intentional. I mean,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Right. And,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

You said the phrase, own it. I made a mistake, I'm sorry, let me fix it, right. if somebody says to you, I'm sorry, I got this wrong, how can I fix it? I'm much more apt to always give you a chance to fix it, than shut you down, right? If I hear this. But if you don't own it, I'm probably just going to walk away because I'm like, I'm not willing to because we, I think we all are good at that to say, yeah, we got that wrong. So for you as a business owner to say, I do that. That's why you're getting it right.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Well, and that's why you are, you know.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

Yeah. Except for when he's bitching in the corner. So

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

uh, God.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Except when I bitch in the corner,

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

We just, we just turned his chair around. Do, I do have one last question that might, um You know, there's other people out there that sell the same things and it's not necessarily competition, but it's other people showcasing your product in a different way. So

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Mm hmm. Mm

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

is there a practice or is there a rule that you all maybe follow those people to see what they're doing or do you care or you're just going to do your thing and that's just what it is.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

People will send me things, friends or whoever. I just saw this store open up. This, this. I won't look at anyone. Like, intentionally. At first it was because it got me upset. Now it's just because I so want to just be unique. That's what we've always been is unique and original. And that's how this idea came to be. So I just like to, if I do something, I want it to be totally, I think you could even get influenced without even knowing it if you were seeing someone else's stuff. So I don't follow anyone else just because I, I guess it's multi factor, but I don't look at anyone else's stuff intentionally just for my own well being, I guess.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

I had a client who owned a little retail store and she was always obsessing about what the other retail store was, near her. And I said, What don't worry about what she's doing. Don't worry about what she's doing. Don't worry about the t shirt She's printing don't worry about the the things she's selling. Well, I she's just copying me and I said Well, then go make the next t shirt. She can't you're creative, right? You're creative. She is just a copycat She can't keep up with you and I said, this is what we're doing. We're driving down the highway, right? I need you just to drive forward And don't ever look in that rear view mirror and see what she's doing, right? It's that idea. I don't need to know what somebody else is doing. I just need to concentrate on what i'm doing What you just said Dwayne it's like because then it does have an influence. It's like well if they did that Maybe it's like I don't care. I don't care what anybody else is doing I only try it goes back trusting your instinct right trusting your gut telling what you believe because it does have that influence of of like I I don't Follow other influencers and I really rarely look at this. I might get inspired. I have coffee table books. I'll pick up and love on right um, but i'm like, I really don't follow anybody else just because Honestly, I don't

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Mom, mom said, she

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

i'm afraid it does

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

said almost the exact same thing to me that you just said. When, you know, people's stories started popping up, she said, would you rather be the leader or the follower? She goes, you are the leader. Stay there. She goes, they're always going to be two steps behind. If we just keep innovating, you have to keep changing. Like if we were the exact same store we were today, as we were six years ago, we'd be out of business. So we're constantly changing and innovating. You have to, you can't be, you can't be okay with where you are right now. You've got to always be thinking two steps ahead. So. That's just, that's what we gotta do.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Well, it's where your sweet mama and her creativity. Yeah. And it is, it's the creativity that you keep playing and you keep, in a way, Amy, you're getting to live your life through other people, right? And you're like, I get to have a good living and a lifetime spending other people's money and I'm having fun doing it and giving them joy. This is a pretty good gig, isn't it?

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

it is. It is. Yeah. Blessed to be a blessing. That's, that's what I always say.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

it is. Absolutely.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

I just wanted to thank Paige and Amy for coming on with us today and having a good time and for being our first guests ever.

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

Thank you all.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

well,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Was

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

It was a blast. It was a blast. I knew it

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

gotta say, when I was in the waiting room and it said, you're about to enter the stage, I was a little nervous. But, it was great. You all made it easy.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

good. Well, good. Well, we will. Well,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

podcast. You guys are

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Oh, thank

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

thank you. We're having, we're having a good time.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

What goes back to when you're in each other's corner, right? You can be honest and trust each other and like each other, because all we're trying to do, we all know this is not the easiest gig in the world. It's fun. It is fun, right? But it's not the easiest. It's what we're trying to do with all our other friends that are going to be joining us, interior designers and shops that own rugs, it's showing that the world, that's what we're That we love what you, what we do. Like Amy, you just really got it across so much. You love it. And it's in your heart and your DNA. You love what you do and you love people, but we're also doing this together. Right. And we're here to pick each other up. We're not, we're not doing anything other than saying we're doing this for each other. This is what

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Well, and, for the listeners who don't know, either one of us that may not be local, may not be here. Paxton home is literally the best. Less than a mile away from our store. So we literally are neighbors, you know, we can, we can rely on each other to do things and can join things together and stuff like that. So,

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

But now the key difference is we are in the hood. They are not. So there's,

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

You have a beautiful store.

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

All right. Well, ladies, thank you. all again so much and we will see you soon. I'll be sure to put all your, links and socials and all that down in the show notes. So if someone's listening and they don't know about you all that they'll have. They'll be easily, uh, or you'll be easily found for

paige--she-_1_06-27-2024_091059:

the best. Thank you all so

jeremy_2_06-27-2024_091346:

there and we will, talk to everybody, later. See y'all soon. Bye.

amy-mellinger_1_06-27-2024_091105:

Thank

stuart_1_06-27-2024_090842:

Thank you.

dwayne_1_06-27-2024_090821:

Now,

People on this episode

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Dwayne Anderson

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Jeremy Rice

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Stuart Hurt

Host