Rising Stars: Meet Richele Ames of Higley and Ray in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Richele Ames.

Hi Richele, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My love for vintage furniture began at a very young age. When I was 12, I would accompany my grandfather to farm sales in the hills of West Virginia. I would follow him as he went from the barn to the house of each farm, listening to the auctioneer auction off the items in each building. One of the pieces he bought at an auction was a rocking chair that he brought to me later in life, and it was a part of my classroom for the 30 years I was teaching school. During the years that I was teaching, I would go to yard sales and buy furniture, fix it up, and resell it in an antique mall where I would sell my repurposed goods. It was a profitable side job that I enjoyed doing. While I loved reselling while teaching, I look forward to the time I could have my store and began planning it for at least 10 years. While winding down my teaching career, I learned of a development scheduled within three blocks of my home. The development was the epicenter. The plan for this shopping experience was to have retail businesses on the base floor and apartments around them. The Johnson family developed the epicenter and built on what once was their family cotton field. The Johnson family was very intent on ensuring that this ample commercial and residential space fit the high standards for creative and unique businesses, which they have done in the past. So, six years ago, I signed my lease and waited while the development came to fruition. My shop is Vintage, Home, Design, and Decor. My logo is a 1964 red truck, very similar to the red truck my grandfather and I drove to farm sales when I was young. I have been open since November 2022. The business has been fantastic! My inventory is an eclectic mix of old and new incorporated into home decor. My customers have told me I have such a unique inventory at amazingly affordable prices. It’s been over a year, but I love my new business!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a fairly smooth road. The main hindrances were construction, slowdowns, and getting work done promptly. The major hurdles were building my space from a gray shell to a finished store.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in two major areas: refurbishing furniture and designing spaces. Most of the furniture in my store looks different from when I purchased it. Mostly, I buy dressers, hutches, and tables that are kicked to the curb or in a garage sale! I bring them home, have my husband fortify any of the shaky or broken things, and then reimagine them and begin refinishing them to make them look completely new. Furniture is one of many items I have in the shop. I also buy vintage home decor, including glassware, pictures, books, and collectibles. I incorporate these by displaying them on the furniture. My customers have commented that how the decor is displayed inspires them to use these items in their home decor.

What were you like growing up?
I shared some of this information in my original paragraph regarding my beginning interest in my business idea. A little more background is that I was second born in a family of five children. We were a very close-knit family. Hence the trips to be with our extended family in West Virginia. I always love school in the atmosphere of friends there—another nod to the career I would choose as a teacher in my future. I met my husband at my first job in high school. We have been married for 40 years and have four children and two grandchildren.

Pricing:

• Dressers $125-425
• Decor $10-$200
• Hutches $250-500
• Tables and chair sets $450-700

Contact Info:

• Website:  www.vintagehome.store
• Instagram: @vintagehomeaz

Image Credits
Kelli Nicole