Battle Ground’s residential growth has brought with it a host of retail stores, but it wasn’t until the beginning of 2016 that a high-end furniture store could be added to that list.
Backed by an owner with 39 years in the business and a degree in interior design from the University of Oregon, local residents say Terie’s Home Furnishings is the perfect fit at the perfect time.
In a hot housing market that’s seeing new build single-family residences go up nearly as fast as “for sale” signs are posted on existing homes, shopping for stylish furnishings to fill a new abode is high on a future homeowner’s to-do list.
“We’re seeing a lot of that; folks closing on homes and coming in to furnish the home,” said owner Terie Thomas. “They will usually come in during the process of building. I do renderings for homes, pick floorings and different textiles.”
Thomas, a huge U of O fan for obvious reasons, has strong connections with numerous past graduates who still call her mom from her 27 years with M. Jacobs Furniture, founded in Eugene over 75 years ago. She says she learned everything she knows from M. Jacobs and has decorated the homes of several NFL and NBA player homes – even Chicago stockbrokers.
More recently, Thomas helped her friend, David Weiss, grow The Furniture Connextion in the Portland area. She also worked with Ken Shleifer of Broadway Furniture. At each location she handled buying and store management responsibilities as well as design and decorating work for countless customers.
“I know everybody in the industry,” Thomas said. “Over the years it’s just been a great, great experience. The people you meet along the way will be lifelong friends that you can count on.”
She prides herself on being an honest retailer who creates a homey and relaxed atmosphere so that people can shop at their leisure. Sports are on every Saturday and she’ll even offer adults a beer or glass of wine while they peruse the 6,300-square-foot space that makes up Terie’s Home Furnishings. Coffee, hot cocoa, tea and soda are other options.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, you’re apt to find Thomas in shorts and flip flops, but she takes her knowledge of furniture and home décor very seriously and an old-fashioned work ethic is firmly engrained.
“I don’t care if you’re buying a $10 plaque or [making] a $10,000 purchase – every night I write personal thank you cards to every single person because without the customers, I don’t have a business,” Thomas said.
Terie’s Home Furnishings carries a broad spectrum of furniture and accessories, can special order, does design work for clients and delivery is available. Thomas recognized early on that the immediate area has a fondness for rustic, so there’s some of that as well as contemporary and the majority of her items are U.S.-made with a large emphasis on Northwest lines. She’s also not afraid of color and pointed out that, as one of only two female-owned furniture stores in the Northwest, don’t be surprised to find a white sofa or a teal bed set on display.
Jessica Meindersee of locally-owned Mein Receivables is a repeat customer who is thrilled to have Terie’s Home Furnishings in her community.
“Terie’s Home Furnishings has the best wood furniture and Terie is very helpful,” Meindersee said. “When I was looking for new tables, I drove to Portland and searched Vancouver. Nothing compared to the quality and prices I found at Terie’s.”
Thomas said her store is low key and it’s her goal to know her customers and their lifestyle so she can best serve them into the future.
“We just keep it real,” Thomas said. “We want this to be the go-to store for this community and the outlying areas and I do draw a lot of customers from Vancouver.”
Terie’s Home Furnishings
717 W. Main St., No. 126 Battle Ground Established 2012
