Meet Our Member
Rigby’s Home Decor
By Carla Lucas
State Line Mall: A Treasure Trove of New and Old
E
verything here is just waiting for the right person to fall in love with it,” says Teri Rigby, owner of Rigby’s Home Décor and the new State Line Mall. “Sooner or later someone will fall in love with it again.” And there’s lots of stuff to love in the 6,000 sq. ft. Rigby’s Home Decor on Route 1 just over the state line in Maryland. The space is filled with a unique mix of styles, some old and some brand new. It’s everything from paintings, statuary, rugs, and lamps to tables (large and small), chairs, desks, and dressers. The “stuff” in the store includes items Teri buys at auction then fixes up and sells. “We’re recyclers giving new life to old furniture. It’s like a rebirth taking a dirty piece of furniture and making it great again.” Rigby’s also includes items collected over the years and items Teri buys from wholesalers and other stores going out of business. She is in the process of ordering an entire shipping container of goods from China filled with a mix of antiques and new home décor items. This should be arriving shortly before Christmas. Teri began painting, distressing, and antiquing old furniture as a hobby many years ago; it was something she learned from her mother. “I love to paint furniture,” says Teri. “If you don’t paint it, all you have is a piece of brown furniture. Paint adds character.” Pat DuBosq, formerly of Pat’s Antiques in Oxford, joined Teri a few months ago. She said that since working with
Page 22
Pat, she’s learned to appreciate a beautifully restored natural finish so Pat’s influence and experience in furniture restoration is rubbing off on her. But Pat is learning to paint furniture so they say they are really learning from each other. As an entrepreneur, Teri started a new venture called State Line Mall right next to Rigby’s Home Décor (the old Sylmar building). “I want to create a retail center for small businesses that can’t rent their own store,” she says describing her idea. “It will be a co-op of stores, just like a mall but on a smaller scale.” She envisions various vendors sharing the 17,000 sq. ft. space and offering anything from handmade clothing and jewelry, to paintings and artwork, to locally made foods. She encourages anyone interested to contact her. Until the Mall is filled with vendors and attracting a great crowd she isn’t charging rent. To date she has a vendor selling cookies, candies and other food items and a florist who is also selling fresh produce. It is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week. “I think my timing is perfect,” reflects Teri on her new ventures. “I got in when the auction prices are rock bottom so I can offer my products at a great price. The items we have here are unique and unusual and just waiting for the right person to find them.” Rigby’s Home Décor is located at 98 Greenmont Rd, in Rising Sun, Maryland. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can be reached at 410-6589800.
Fall 2010 / Volume 25