Small Business Profile

By Christy Smith

Staff photo: Craig Moore
Martha Bonifield, left, and her daughter Jill are co-owners of Eclectics which offers affordable furniture and accessories.

Eclectics

LOCATION: 553 Buford Highway, Suwanee
PHONE: 770-904-6874
WHAT THEY DO: Used furniture hand-picked by the owners as well as hand-crafted jewelry, baby clothes, candles, children’s furniture and ceramics
MAJOR PLAYERS: Mother-daughter team Martha and Jill Bonifield
SIZE: 900 square feet
EMPLOYEES: Two
FOUNDED: April 2004
Martha’s career as a real estate agent has for years kept her informed of all the best estate sales and auctions, where she picked up a number of fabulous finds. The not-so-fabulous were carefully touched up, refinished or painted by Jill. They both loved the hunt for fine items and the satisfaction of bringing neglected items back to life. So when their house began to overflow, the Bonifields opened an 8-by-8 booth in an indoor flea market.
“This is something we love to do,” Martha said. “We are both creative, and we love to fix the things, redo them and give them some love. At the flea market it was a constant struggle to have more room, and we felt like we got lost there.”
Inside Eclectics, the building is divided into rooms, making it easier for the customer to see how the furniture will fit into their own homes. The location on heavily traveled Buford Highway in Suwanee gives the store lots of exposure.
“Before we opened, people were nuts to get in here,” Martha said. “People came by and peeked in the windows. The first day we opened washed away all our fears. We sold $3,000 to $4,000 in inventory.”
Opening Eclectics was not as financially draining as Jill and Martha had expected. They already had a houseful of inventory, and when an item sells, it is replaced by another one from their home.
“We are renting so we didn’t have to get a loan,” Jill said. “A friend helped with the sign; another friend gave us the cash register.”
RISKS: “Time and money spent,” Jill said. “You become skeptical of your own ideas. It’s like putting your home out there and selling everything in it. It’s different from being in a flea market booth. A lot of monetary expenses go into starting your own place — accounting, set up a phone and electricity.”
REWARD: “The design aspect,” Jill said. “I wanted to go to school for interior design. Putting a room together is fun.”
COMPANY MOTTO: “Do what you love.”
BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: “Be dedicated and persevere,” Martha said.  “Think outside the box,” Jill said.
TEN YEARS FROM NOW: Jill intends to learn to upholster furniture. “We are working to be known as the place for cool furniture,” Jill said.