Booth Furniture brings designing eye to each project
In a region of Virginia that has deep, historical roots, W.F. Booth and Son, Inc. is a business that reflects the Northern Neck tradition. Strong family ties, hard work - and having some fun along the way.
Bob Booth operates the store his grandfather founded around the turn of the 20th century. Bob's father took over in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, and kept things going with the help of barter and trade. Bob took over in 1960 and today operates the furniture store on Main Street in Kilmarnock with the help of his wife Connie and two sons, Todd and Tim.
Connie loves the custom decorating side of the business, and her exuberance is catching. She does work on homes from Connecticut to South Carolina.
A recent project involved decorating a three-story townhouse in Maryland from floor to ceiling. Bob was in on a preliminary visit, and after working out all the details with the client, Connie, Todd and Tim arrived on the scene with paperhangers, furniture, rugs, and accessories.
“It's not glamorous until the end,” said Connie, who loves it when the look comes together.
But there's a lot of work to be done before that final, thrilling moment.
“When I do a home, I like to get to know a client and her personality. I want to see what they're working with, I want to get to know the environment,” Connie said.
Tim and Todd attend at least two international home shows each year, keeping up with the latest trends. When a client moves to the Northern Neck from New York or Chicago and talks to Tim about a certain designer, he is familiar with the designer's work and style.
Tim draws on craftsmen in the Northern Neck area whom he believes to be excellent. He can even commission paintings for your home.
Whether you are a newcomer or old-timer or a weekender, odds are you will benefit from Tim and Todd's expertise. They can help you avoid costly mistakes and they work with your discretionary budget.
Connie makes sure that when a custom-decorating job is completed, the home reflects the personalities of the owners. She suggests to clients that they keep a portfolio of preferred window treatments, furniture and accessories from magazines. This is especially important if the client is unsure of his or her own taste. The role of the decorator, she says, is to coordinate the look so the client is pleased with the end result.
“The word `match' is out. You blend - that's what makes your home look like you, and that's what makes people want to spend an afternoon with you in your home,” she said.
The Booths understand that a family-owned and operated business can focus on service and on spending time with customers. The fact that Booth's supplies fast service, thanks to warehouses full of furniture and accessories, also leads to customer satisfaction.
Bob and Connie will tell you that their store has always had to diversify and adjust to changing times. It's unusual to find a family-owned business like this in operation any more.
“I've been right here watching all the changes,” Bob said.
The world may change, but it's a good bet that Bob, Connie, Tim and Todd will continue to provide the same quality furniture and accessories at W.F. Booth and Son for a long time to come.
