Sylvia Thomas, founder of The House of Detroit
Photo courtesy of The House of Detroit Facebook page
The luxury furniture market is a fast-growing industry that topped $25 billion dollars at the end of 2020. Projected to grow by close to five percent through 2026, the global luxury furniture industry is dominated by countries like Italy, China and Germany. However, the United States is a global contender. As the number of luxe furniture showrooms continues to increase stateside, more shoppers will be exposed to the lure of high-priced living. Detroit is bringing a piece of the global market locally as one entrepreneur opened the doors to a luxury furniture showroom and gave Detroiters a taste of opulence.
Detroiters are known for their ingenuity and grit and this was just the recipe Sylvia Thomas used to open The House of Detroit, a high-end furniture store. The brand’s owner was able to launch two showroom locations in just over one year. The first, located in Royal and a second showroom in Dearborn, The House of Detroit was born from a personal shopping experience that did not fare well for Thomas.
“I opened The House of Detroit in August of 2020. I was furniture shopping and only could find furniture I liked online. I wanted to be able to see pieces in person and sit on the furniture to know if it was comfortable or not,” said Thomas.
With that experience, Thomas set out on a journey to bring quality furniture pieces to the masses. Securing a location, the owner got to work on transforming the space and enlisted the help of those closest to her.
“My family helped me a lot. They came in and did my floors, painted, helped me go get the furniture and bring it here, assemble everything and set everything up,” said Thomas.
Crafted by skilled manufacturers, each piece in the showroom is designed with comfort and quality at the helm. Thomas works with manufacturers and suppliers to ensure The House of Detroit’s furniture pieces are durable and carries styles not found in traditional furniture stores.
“I mostly use suppliers because their furniture is patented for the quality, comfortability, color and design, which a lot of furniture that’s out can be a knockoff version of the manufacturer. This makes a lot of the furniture hard and not sturdy or fade,” said Thomas.
Placement of furniture can be tricky once items make it to their forever homes. While there are no official home design services currently offered, customers are able to gain insight from the showroom owner.
“We offer customers design ideas when they come in the store with pictures or videos,” said Thomas.
Becoming a furniture connoisseur is just one aspect of life for Thomas. A community advocate, she is also the president of Get R.I.C.H., an acronym meaning Real Inspired Creative Happiness. The non-profit, founded by Thomas and a partner, is designed to help felons adjust to life outside while giving back to their community.
“We started a nonprofit where they could come and help with the blight program that was going on in 2019 and 2020,” said Thomas. “They were helping to put boards back on houses, cut the grass down, and [take] trash out of the houses. The nonprofit provided a lot of the training for them to be able to do it and then help others get contracts on their own.”
Mounting a growing resume, Thomas has no plans of slowing down. Thinking to the future, the showroom owner plans to expand her name and brand while continuing to offer luxury-style furniture. Hoping to open more furniture boutiques, the owner is also looking to launch her own signature furniture collection.
“It can be quite tricky unless you get with the right shippers that are able to help speed up the process,” said Thomas.
The House of Detroit is open Sunday through Friday. The boutique also offers no credit check financing options to be able to bring these statement pieces home without breaking the bank.
About Post Author
