Minding Your Business - At Home Again

“Your premier consignment shop showcasing

 I first met the four owners — Janice Kurlychek, Lisa Young, Donna Ritvo and Michaele Beauchemin — of At Home Again 20 years ago. And I told many people after that I was so impressed with their business model. With four owners, they started out with a built-in staff, and as a furniture consignment shop, “we never had to pay out for inventory!” Ritvo said with a laugh. 

 Certainly there’s more to it than that. The four women only accept consignment items that are “high quality and in excellent condition,” Beauchemin said. At Home Again is not a yard sale. It’s a high-end home decor shop. The four have a discerning eye and know what’s “trendy now from antiques to contemporary,” Ritvo said. “We are very fussy; people now know to only bring us their nice things, or show us those things when we come to them." They make house calls all over the Cape.

 “Our customers can’t believe the variety and quality of our items, and they soon learn you better buy it now, because it's highly likely it will be gone the next time you come in!” said Ritvo.

 “We get customers who are visiting the Cape and buy to furnish an apartment in New York City,” said Beauchemin. “One customer even shipped furniture to Hawaii because she said she couldn’t find it anywhere on the Islands." 

 This April, the four are celebrating two decades in business. At Home Again started in their present location at West Chatham’s Marketplace in just one room. Today they occupy both rooms in that building, plus a shop behind their shop for “overflow and sale items.” Their keen eye for quality home decor is also evident in their display layouts in those rooms. Everything is artfully displayed. It’s an enjoyable trip around the rooms every time you visit. 

“We ‘stage’ our furnishings, thereby displaying them to their best advantage,” said Beauchemin, delighting both consignors and customers.

 “And our prices reflect the value you expect,” added Ritvo.

 They told me they accept consignments after 3 o’clock every day. And who wouldn’t want to consign here? The seller receives 50 percent of the sale, and they promise to keep them on view for two months. They offer on-time, monthly payments and there’s always an owner on the premises. 

 A trip to At Home Again never disappoints, and each time you do, you just may find something and bring it home…again.