W
e hear it all the time in the home
furnishings industry. The more
customized and personal — and
different — a piece of furniture
or home accent is can make all the difference
to the consumer. Enter Alicia Kerr, founder of
Allie Studio, a home decor company that takes
“personal” to the next level.
Allie Studio began four years ago in Kerr’s
home with a website and some pillows she
designed. With the tagline “Love Where You
Live,” Kerr’s products were designed
to catch on with the “hometown
pride” consumer. However,
one such design catapulted
the company to the next
level. Kerr’s hometown is
Sacramento, CA, where
the printing for Allie
Studio products takes
place. More specifically,
she lived in the neigh-
borhood on the east side
of the city, known as East
Sac to the locals. That design
sold out immediately and Kerr
knew she was onto something. She
began adding these neighborhoods to her
collection, and business exploded.
“We began drilling down to little niche
neighborhoods; the historical development
name was what people wanted to see. That’s
where we have excelled,” she says. “We began
connecting with local retailers who knew the
neighborhoods and their customers. Those
small, little neck-of-the-woods neighborhoods
made the difference.”
Now retailers come to her, and once
they find something they like that resonates
with their consumers, Kerr added, they want
more of that. With all printing done right in
California, turnaround is approximately two
weeks from order.
Kerr services a variety of retailers in
California, primarily, including gift stores that
feature home decor and home furnishings
stores that are looking to offer impulse
purchases. “Not everyone leaves with a
sofa, but they might buy a pillow,” she says.
“Multiple visits are key for home decor
retailers. When you’re ready to replace a
large area rug, you’ll remember that store
because you were there
purchasing gifts.”EXCLUSIVITY
Kerr’s goal with Allie Studio is to become a
go-to for her retailers who are looking for
unique items that no one else is creating. She
offers exclusive collections to different retailers
she works with, and while she still does
business on her website, she is careful not to
overlap with those exclusives on retail shelves.
Pillow design services are the base of
the operation, and Kerr recently opened a
warehouse where she keeps inventory ready
for printing based on retail requests. She’s
also branched out into other product areas
— etched glass is one — to add variety to
her offerings. The theme across any product
category she enters remains “Love Where You
Live.” She keeps her product lines fresh with
the requested neighborhoods as well as with
seasonal offerings. “Once retailers put a neigh-
borhood in, then we have pillows for every
season. It’s great business. These are exclusive
just for them,” Kerr says. “The backbone of the
brick and mortars is that they do a good job of
catering to their clientele.”QUALITY COUNTS
While the personal touch has become the
Allie Studio hallmark, quality and design are
equally important to Kerr. “People are napping
on these pillows. They have to be cozy and
are down-filled. The outer cover also needs to
withstand washing. We’ve hit hiccups along the
way, but those ups and downs have made our
products even better,” Kerr ascertains.
She also keeps her designs simple, with
what she calls a “cotton-linen chic look”
that works in a variety of home styles and/or
different home spaces.
Now that she has her relationships in place
with artists and print vendors, she is ready to
take Allie Studio to the next level. In addition
to new product categories, last month, Kerr
debuted her company at Las Vegas Market to
expand her reach beyond California.
“We talk to the retailers about how well
some of the neighborhood designs have
done. They’ve created an extraordinary
amount of return traffic,” she says. “I love
where I live. I had no idea how many others
do too.” FLDBy Diane Falveydesign stop
ALLIE STUDIO20 | AUG.19 http://www.furniturelightingdecor.comLOVE WHERE YOU LIVE
Alicia Kerr with her staple Allie Studio pillows, which drill down to niche
neighborhoods to give retailers a unique offering for customers shopping
their stores.