Hart-Davidson was working as a showroom manager in an upscale New York store when she got her break. “Designers were responsible for creating a beautiful show room but they forgot to order bedding,” she recalls. “They asked if I could sew. I pulled off two weeks’ work in 48 hours!” Designers began coming to her on a regular basis. Hart-Davidson could work only part time on pursuing her dream until her husband landed a job at Michigan State University in 2004. Eventually, what began with Hart-Davidson working alone in her living room has grown to 15 employees and a third studio.

Hart-Davidson’s philosophy is democratic design, and she says that’s what sets her company apart “I’m not a dictator. I’m a designer. I want to make a client’s home look like them, not me.”

Company sales increased about 500 percent in the last six years with services ranging from quick color consultations and furniture placement to full-service remodeling. Kitchen and bath re-designs account for most of her business, which is good but the economy has changed how people look at design.　Leslie fights what she calls the “blandification of America,” urging homeowners to make their space comfortable. “Most of the national home design shows stress neutrality. Don’t be afraid to add personality through color or decorative pieces to tell who you are, where you come from, or what you believe in.”

Hart-Davidson was faced with challenges when beginning her business. “I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on advertising so I had to be super sneaky about marketing attempts.” While driving past the Okemos Library, an idea popped into her head. “I thought of holding seminars there to teach people how to find ways to live better in their homes.” A number of people turned out to hear her ideas. “They liked the info and they hired me.” Community education began as her primary marketing source and has become a gold mine. “Most people have to pay an arm and a leg for that type of advertising. I get paid to do marketing.”

Hart-Davidson says being a woman in the business is a blessing and a curse. It’s easier to get ideas across since they’re taken in an educational aspect. However, working with contractors in a male-dominated industry can be tough. “There’s a tremendous misconception about interior designers. Most think we’re just decorators. My job is to make things function, not just make them pretty.”

She says the support of her family, and especially her husband, Dr. William Hart-Davidson, has been instrumental to her success and there’s a give and take for each in balancing home and business. “He travels and I do community education a few nights a week. Each of us has the opportunity to pursue a career and the best family life we can.”  In addition to designing, Hart-Davidson does media interviews on a regular basis and is working on a book about interior design. She is also looking to expand her internship program by teaching other entrepreneurs the value of mentoring. “Because of the help I’ve given those interns and the quality of those we’ve taken on, we’ve been able to grow. I want to show others how to achieve similar success.

Cricket’s Home Furnishings

Success is no stranger to Beverly Fritts.The owner of Cricket’s Home Furnishings in Dimondale has transformed her venture from a simple craft shop to one of the most successful high-end furniture stores in mid-Michigan.

For years, Fritts struck a chord with customers with her unique country-style designs. But as interest in that style began to fall by the wayside, Fritts reinvented herself and her company to meet customer wants and needs.

As Fritts’ business changed to include other types of design, additional requests for her services surfaced. “Customers wanted me to come to their home. They wanted furniture and help in designing their rooms.” She hired interior designers to help out but soon realized customers needed more. “They needed to see how the furniture would actually look in their home.” Unlike other furniture stores with displays in large spaces, Crickets offers normal room-size settings. “They’ve got to see the furniture in areas similar to their own rooms to get a feel of how they would really look.”

But offering normal-size room settings is not the store’s only unique aspect. Customers who like what they see can get it—right away. “The furniture isn’t nailed down,” Fritts jokes. “If they really like it, they can buy everything they see, right now.” There are about 40 room settings at any given time and all are for sale. Window treatments are also available along with floral designs. And for those unable to find just what they want on the floor, designers are on-site to help pick out or order fabric.

Fritts says despite the economy, people are still requesting design services, only now often on a smaller scale. Years ago, she’d be called to do an entire house. Today, customers are more conservative. Crickets only charges for design help when a home visit is requested. Services in the store are free of charge.

In addition to new patio furniture design settings, Crickets is branching out, offering baby cribs and youth furniture. “We want to have the whole spectrum. We want to be able to get you anything you could possibly want.” Despite cutbacks, Fritts is optimistic about the future. Business has increased 15 percent since the beginning of the year, and she expects to hire more designers in the near future. “People still want our help. They know they can make expensive mistakes and when it’s time to call in the professionals.”

Fritts admits designing can be challenging. “Everybody has something in their home they’re attached to so we have to find a way to design around it.” She sells more family room furniture than anything else, with bedroom and dining room furniture last on most wish lists. Furniture shipments come in up to three times a week, but with little room for storage and the economic slowdown, there has not been a need to shop for new products. But, that could be changing. “What we ordered in April is now starting to come in, but with what seems like a light at the end of the tunnel, maybe it’s time to start looking for new lines again.”