Business & Tech

Hipster Home Finds Breathing Room in Chestnut Hill

After ten months on Germantown Avenue, the home goods shop is doing well.

After 10 months in Chestnut Hill, owner of , Dave Friday, said the move from Phoenixville was a risk that paid off.

“It was a risk on many levels. At the point in Phoenixville, we had some legs but we weren’t making any money,” Friday said.

Paying the bills for the store, but not being able to pay the bills at home was a catalyst for he move. And since the store took its new location on Germantown Avenue, selling more furniture has been a somewhat unexpected bonus.

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“We knew we would sell more furniture, but we didn’t know how much more,” Friday said.

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Aside from gaining clients in Chestnut Hill, Hipster Home has recently picked up two very promising clients. gave the store a new account that could pay off even more in the future if the show succeeds.

The high-end retail store Boyd’s in Center City Philadelphia has also used the shop to furnish its remodel of the men’s shoe department.

“Before, their chairs were very regal, but they decided to do the remodel very contemporary,” Friday said. And contemporary-classic is how Friday described the lines of furniture Hipster Home carries. The fabric on the chairs and sofa is also highly durable, making it a good choice for commercial use.

Aside from those two accounts, Hipster Home is making strides among Chestnut Hill clientele as well. In Phoenixville, Friday said the store was mostly used as a place to pick up gifts. With modern kitchen goods and decorative items filling the shelves of the store, there are no shortages of gift ideas when you enter.

But in Chestnut Hill, the larger price-tag items are starting to move, which is crucial to staying in business for a shop like Hipster Home.

“You can’t make a living off of selling $12.50 kid’s plates and salt shakers.  You need volume for that,” Friday said.

But after the challenge of moving the store, Friday said that the risk was worth the reward.

“We’re much more comfortable now. We have a little room to breathe. It’s too soon to say ‘we made it’ but it’s looking good,” Friday said.


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