LA GRANGE — A merging of traditional and contemporary is what you will find at a new furniture store off U.S. 70. Disko Furniture opened its doors March 14 with just that sort of blend.
“I felt like there was a need as far as for transitional furniture,” owner Shelby Harrison said.
Harrison, who grew up in Duplin County, has worked as a full-time nurse at Lenoir Memorial Hospital since 2001. But in her spare time, she would find, paint and sell furniture. She started an online business last year.
Her intentions were to open a shop in a farmhouse on her and her husband Jesse’s La Grange property. She named the business after Disko Lane, where the property is situated.
But with the old narrow doorways in the farmhouse and delivery issues, Harrison realized she would have to remodel the house. When she saw the empty building where Dianne’s Curtains recently closed, she decided that would be better suited for her business.
After discovering that home-painted furniture doesn’t hold up as well as manufacturer-painted furniture, Harrison said she chose to sell the latter.
“I like manufactured-painted furniture because of its durability and function,” she said. “… I noticed a lot of the stuff I painted would scratch.”
Besides commercially-painted furniture, the 1,500-square-foot store has distressed furniture, which is made to look old; leather sofas, chairs and ottomans; rugs; and artwork.
More merchandise is coming in, including reclaimed wood furniture. Reclaimed wood is lumber recycled from old buildings.
“Like an old farmhouse table that you see, it’s like that,” Harrison said.
Her mother-in-law, Judy Harrison, works at the store on the days she works at LMH. Plans are to have a grand opening celebration in July, she said.
Harrison resides with her husband, who owns Horizon RV Center, and two sons — Noah, 13, and Nicholas, 10.
Disko Furniture, 4411 George Abbott Road, La Grange, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For information, call 252-556-0505 or 252-286-6596 or visit diskofurniture.com.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
Suggestion?
Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.