Revivals is reinventing resale with its award-winning line of new home furnishings
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here’s no wondering why Revivals has won the Best Thrift Store award from no less than four different local competitions: The Desert Sun’s “Best of the Valley” contest, the “Ultimate Pride” match, CV Independent’s Best of Coachella Valley race, and Palm Springs Life’s friendly “Best of the Best” battle. The resale store chain’s broad swath of generous donors guarantees a steady supply of stellar merch, 100% of its profits (some $1 million annually) goes to supporting a charitable organization, and that organization is our community’s nationally recognized and locally beloved Desert AIDS Project. But a victory in the Best New Furniture Store category? Yes, you read me right. New. Selling neverused items such as bedding is old hat, so to speak, for the 25-year-old retailer. It’s been doing it for more than a decade and a half. But five years ago, the decision was made to get into the new home décor business, and boy, did that idea take off and fly! The venture’s success has been so thundering that what is a wonder is why Revivals is still the only thrift shop in America to feature its own brand of new furniture, lighting, rugs, and accessories. “We just felt that we wanted to supplement the donated business,” says Revivals Director of Retail Dane Koch, the man credited with further developing the new furniture concept there to a heightened level. “And we saw a real
need in the valley for merchandise that was stylish, had good quality, and was affordable.” Revivals offers home furnishing from more than 50 vendors—including brand names such as Ashley, Diamond, Coaster, and Scott Living (as in, identical twin brothers Andrew Scott and Jonathan Silver Scott of HGTV’s “Property Brothers” fame)—but much of its inventory is custom-made for the store, and all of its selections fall under Revivals’ Mode label. While the Palm Springs shop focuses on all things midcentury modern, the Cathedral City branch trades on value, and the Palm Desert outlet’s assortment is more traditional in style. According to Koch, the entire valley is snapping up the goods. “I’m always amazed that walking out to one of our parking lots, you’re just as apt to spot a Bentley as you are to see a Yugo,” he says. “I think the big advantage for most people is going to be, number one, the affordability. Secondly, a lot of people know that by shopping at Revivals, they’re supporting DAP. Then there’s the thrill of the hunt. There are some avid shoppers out there who, no matter what their economic status, love a great find at a bargain.” According to Koch, another big plus is that customers can pick up their treasures right off the showroom floor. And if by chance they do need to order something, the wait is approximately two weeks rather than the two-
month backlog at most other new furniture sellers. “What’s also unique about us,” he continues, “is that the typical store goes to market and buys for, let’s say, six months and that’s what they show for the rest of the year. Our inventory changes continually. We’re constantly bringing in new product as it becomes available.” It’s not just mom and pop and the kids who are lining up at the cash register. NBC Palm Springs recently asked Revivals to freshen up its green room and talk show set. “NBC Palm Springs and Revivals share a commitment to the local community,” says “Desert Living” Executive Producer Guy Farris. “So it made sense to partner as we rolled out a new look for our show.” Even professionals are getting into the game. “I recently helped a client pull his living room together with new paint, lighting, solar shades, and drapes,” says Beau Stinnette, business partner with Dann Foley in Foley & Stinnette Design, and winner of the “Ultimate Pride” Best Interior Designer prize. “He took me into Revivals to look at a new sofa he’d seen and it was the perfect configuration, color, style, and price. So we ordered one and it worked out beautifully.” Steve Edwards—a semi-retired, 30-year veteran of the education sales industry who most recently ran the sewing class program of both the New York and Los Angeles Mood
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